


Chasing Waterfalls

by holdontoyourhulahoops



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future Fish, Cafe AU, Chef Haru, M/M, Pining, Platonic Makoharu, Slow Burn, lostsuke, officer sousuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-07 05:26:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4251027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdontoyourhulahoops/pseuds/holdontoyourhulahoops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Officer Yamazaki enters Haru's cafe one night upon Rin's recommendation Haru's not entirely sure what to make of him, but he seems to enjoy his cooking and keeps coming back.  That is, when he's not lost.<br/>How exactly is he a police officer, again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nagisa’s tapping his pen on the counter impatiently, chin cupped lazily in his hand.  Every few seconds he’ll make an impatient little sound, which Haru knows is entirely for his benefit.

It’s still thirty minutes to closing, but the cafe is already completely empty.  Considering the small size and sleepy nature of their town, it’s unlikely anyone will come by this late at night.  But Haru likes to stick to his schedules, so he’ll stubbornly stay open until ten, as posted.  

“Haru-chan,” Nagisa whines, finally giving in.  “There’s no one even here!”

Haru nods absentmindedly.  “It’s nice.”

Nagisa sighs and slumps forward so his face hits the counter, smudging the pristine countertop.  Haru winces a little; he’d just cleaned that.  

“Can’t we just close up a little early tonight?  I promised to meet Rei-chan after this, and he gets so sleepy if it gets too late.”

Haru resists the urge to tell Nagisa to wipe the counters again, and huffs.  Nagisa’s a good kid, and a close friend.  He currently works part-time as a server here in between stints with the entertainment business, and he's not terrible at his job.  Sure, he spends half his time flirting with the chemistry intern who frequents the place, but his bubbly personality and general positivity really seems to brighten everyone’s day.  And Haru finds he has a hard time denying him anything.

“Fine.  You can go home,” he says, as if they didn’t both know he would inevitably cave.  

Nagisa lights up like the sun before the words have even left his mouth.  He bounds forward to wrap his boss in a tight hug, nuzzling his face into Haru’s apron.  This wouldn’t seem like an entirely appropriate interaction between co-workers in most places, but Haru doesn’t run a very conventional workplace.

“Thank you, thank you!” he cries, tilting his head to the side.  “You’re the best, Haru-chan!”

Haru waves him off with a shrug, watching in amusement as Nagisa leaps forward to grab his coat and head out the door.

“See ya, tomorrow!” he calls, turning back to wave enthusiastically over his head.  He spins around, swinging the door open-

Only to slam into the firm chest of a tall, foreboding figure.

Nagisa squeaks.  Behind him, Haru straightens up, brows furrowing.  It’s uncommon for anyone he doesn’t recognize to enter his cafe, considering the small population of their town, especially this late at night.  

“Sorry-!” Nagisa squeaks, eyes going wide.  “I didn’t see you there, officer...Yamazaki?” he reads off the man’s uniform.

The man in the entrance is incredibly tall, with broad shoulders and a large scowl on his face.  He’s wearing a police uniform, as Nagisa has already observed, and doesn’t seem to know what to make of the little blond standing in front of him.  

“It’s fine,” he says finally, in a rough voice.  Nagisa doesn't wait around to apologize further.  He offers one of his signature smiles, before scurrying around the police officer and out the door.

Officer Yamazaki watches him go with a slightly peeved look.  Haru frowns.  There’s something vaguely familiar about the officer, like he’d seen him somewhere before.  He scans over the man’s droopy eyes and seemingly set-in scowl, not quite able to place it.

“Can I help you?” Haru asks, with measured politeness.

Yamazaki grunts, eyes surveying the display case.  “A friend of mine said you have decent pie.”

And then it clicks.  He does know this man, or at least he’s seen him, in cellphone pictures that were enthusiastically shoved in his face.

“You’re Rin’s friend,” Haru says aloud.  He wonders why he hadn’t realized it sooner, considering the fact that he’s clearly a police officer. Rin had traipsed into his cafe earlier this week, practically gushing over how his old childhood friend Sousuke would be transferring to their unit.  While the redhead had seemed excited, Yamazaki doesn’t appear quite so enthused.

“Err… yes,” Yamazaki replies, scratching the back of his neck.  “Just moved here.”  He seems much less intimidating now that he’s speaking, but he still gives off a rather grouchy aura.

Haruka nods absentmindedly.  “Rin doesn’t like sweets.”

“Well, he pointed me here anyway,” Yamazaki replies gruffly.  

Shrugging, Haru resolves to at least try to be nice to this officer.  If he’s Rin’s friend, that means this surely won’t be the last Haru sees of him, whether they like it or not.  “Which type?”

Yamazaki deliberates for a moment, before settling on pecan.  Haru hands him the slice without comment.  He tries to busy himself with other tasks and not focus his attention on Yamazaki while he eats, but that’s more easily said than done, considering they’re the only two people inside the small cafe.

Haru’s pleased to see the contented look that appears on Yamazaki’s face when he takes his first bite, momentarily replacing the deep scowl that he’d been beginning to think was permanent.  He looks a lot younger when he smiles, Haru thinks offhandedly, but he quickly brushes that thought away.

This is his favorite part of owning the cafe; seeing his customers’ reactions to each dish or dessert he creates. For Haru, cooking started out as a necessity, with him living alone and having to feed himself.  But seeing other people enjoy his food always sends a wave of pride through his body, and might be the reason he’d chosen such a career path.  Not that he’d ever speak that out loud.

“Okay?” he asks, as he turns away to finish the last of the dishes.

Yamazaki hums, bending over the dessert.  “Yeah.  Pretty good.”

He’s scarfing it down far too quickly for someone who only considers the pie ‘pretty good’ but Haru offers no further comment.  Yamazaki leaves the money on the table and walks out without another word minutes later, which suits Haru just fine.  The silence that comes with an empty cafe is refreshing, and he’s never minded being alone.

He trails lazily through his nighttime routine, wiping down the last of the tables, and the smear Nagisa’s face left on his white counters, before finally locking up for the night.  He pauses for a moment to stare up the sign that Makoto and Rin had helped him paint five years ago, the words 'Waterfall Cafe' printed in big bubble letters, next his own carefully drawn illustration of a waterfall spilling over a cliff.

On the short walk home, he busies himself by checking his cellphone.  He's unsurprised to discover that he has a string of new messages from Nagisa.

_‘Haru-chan! sorry!!!!_ ┐(‘～`；)┌ _I didn’t mean to ditch you!’_

Haru rolls his eyes, knowing very well that Nagisa knew exactly what he was doing.

‘ _Did that guy look familiar??????_ ’

‘ _Maybe Rin-chan knows him_ _?????_ _? Cuz theyre both officers????"  
_

‘ _but he was hot at least_ (●´ω｀●)’

‘ _you should ask for his number’_

_‘I mean, did you see his arms???_ ♥‿♥ (✿◠‿◠)’

‘ _AND_   _dont lecture me, i can LOOOK_ ’

‘ _Haru-CHANNNN_ ’

Haru lets out a heavy breath of air, watching it drift away above his head with the chill of the early spring night.  Nagisa is Nagisa, he reminds himself.  And he’s learned from years of experience that humoring Nagisa is much more effective than ignoring him completely.

‘ _i agree.  his arms were nice_ ’  

He hits send, hoping Nagisa will be content with that and stop bothering him.  And it’s not really a lie. Yamazaki had definitely been conventionally attractive, not that Haru’s one to pay attention to those types of things. 

Still, Haru’s not in the mood to stay up gossiping with Nagisa till three in the morning just to please his younger friend, so he promptly shuts off his phone before he can receive any more messages.

He’s sure he’ll be hearing all about it at work on Monday anyway.

* * *

 The cafe closes early Sundays, so Haru heads home at a more reasonable hour the next day.  He considers what he’ll make for dinner as he strolls along; maybe a chocolate cake to appease Makoto’s notorious sweet tooth.  

When he steps inside their small house, he’s surprised to find his roommate standing with his face plastered to their living room window.

“Makoto?”

“Oh, hi, Haru,” Makoto squeaks, turning to smile at his best friend.  “How was your day?”

Haru frowns, brushing by him to glance out the window.

“Oh, it’s okay!  I was just-”

“Is something wrong?” Haru asks, scanning the empty streets in front of them.

Makoto sighs, setting a hand on Haru’s shoulder.  “It’s probably nothing,” he laughs, tilting his head to the side.  “I’m sure you must be tired from working.  You should sit down.”

Haru snorts.  Leave it to Makoto to say something like that, when Haru knows he’d been running training drills with the firestation all morning.

He ignores his friend’s coddling and looks back out the window, lips pursed together.  “Was it another stray cat?”

“Hmm…? No!” Makoto laughs.  “There was just this guy… He’s walked by here like seven or eight times.  He seemed _really_ angry and scared all the neighbor kids inside.  I’m sure it’s nothing but-”

As if on cue, the man appears again, tall and angry-looking as promised, turning the corner of their neighbor's house.  Makoto jumps and shrinks behind the window.

“That’s him,” he whispers.  “I don’t know.  Should we call the cops or something?”

"He is a cop," Haru says plainly, shaking his head at his friend's panic.  

Despite that he’s traded his police uniform out for street clothes, Yamazaki is still easily recognizable.  The broad shoulders and stern face are kind of hard to mistake.  And with the scowl he's wearing, Haru's not surprised that he managed to scare children off.  However, to him, he looks much more pathetic than intimidating, with the way he's glancing helplessly around like he has no idea where he is.

Haru may hardly know the man, but he's Rin’s friend, so there’s minimal chance he’s actually a criminal.  Probably still an asshole, but one that manages to get lost in a town of only a few thousand people, so not too much of a threat.

"What?  Haru-"

“It’s nothing,” Haru assures, pushing back from the window.  He tugs his jacket back on, heading for the back door.  Someone probably will have to save that idiot before some alarmed parent does actually call the police.  And he’d been intending to head to the store anyway.

Makoto still looks mildly worried, following along after him.  “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

Haru rolls his eyes.  “Don’t worry, Makoto.  I'm going out to buy milk." 

With that, he pushes his way outside, ignoring his friend’s concerned voice calling after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow! This is a little new for me, actually trying to write chapter stories. I hope you enjoyed the beginning. I'll try to update this every week if we can, but we shall see. I really wanted to do future fish au, and I love these two nerds. I'm not sure how long this will be, probably sevenish chapters.
> 
> Find me on hopenobodyeverfinds.tumblr.com if you're interested. I'm always happy to chat. Feedback is always welcome!
> 
> Next chapter: Haru helps Sousuke find the grocery store! The excitement.


	2. Chapter 2

A gust of wind blows Haru’s hair from his face, as he speed-walks after the lost-looking police officer.  For his part, Yamazaki doesn’t seem to notice him; apparently too caught up in his brooding.  

As Haru draws closer, he can hear him grumbling irritably beneath his breath, gaze focused intensely on the sidewalk.  It's kind of hilarious, if not a little pathetic.

“Lost?” he calls, once he’s gotten reasonably within speaking distance.

Yamazaki grinds to an abrupt halt; shoulders going stiff.  He glances warily behind him.  “I’m fine,” he grunts coldly.  

Haru lifts an eyebrow.  That was clearly a lie, but it's not really his problem.   “Whatever,” he says with a shrug and proceeds to walk away.  He’d been trying to be nice, but he’s no saint like Makoto.  If Yamazaki wants to wander around town for a few more hours, he’s not going to stop him.

“Wait- Aren’t you the guy from the cafe yesterday?”

Haru pauses, before reluctantly turning around to nod his head yes.

Yamazaki makes a face, shoving his hands awkwardly into his pockets before glancing down.  “What are you doing here?”

Haru frowns.  “I live here.”

“Ah… right,” Yamazaki replies, scratching the back of his neck.   Haru watches him fidget disinterestedly, not caring to fill the silence.  He wonders if it would be too impolite to just turn and walk away again, because Yamazaki doesn’t seem like he wants to do much more then stand in place and glare at the sidewalk.  

“So… are you lost or not?” Haru repeats eventually, because it would probably be rude to leave Rin’s friend helpless by himself- as tempting as it is. 

Mortified, Yamazaki grits his teeth.  “You’re as blunt as Rin said you were,” he grumbles, twisting his fingers in his hair.  “Fine.” He lets out an audible groan before continuing.  “Can you tell me how to find the grocery store?  And maybe not mention this to Rin, while you’re at it.”

Haru barely manages to hold in his amused snort, but gestures for Yamazaki to follow him.  “Can’t promise anything.”

“Oh, come on,” Yamazaki huffs, dragging his feet as he trails after him.

“My roommate thought you were a criminal,” Haru deadpans, with a slight smirk.

“What?!”

“Try to look less scary next next time.”

Yamazaki makes an incoherent sound, eyes flashing with annoyance.  Haru thinks maybe he'll just refuse to follow him anymore after that comment, but then he hears Yamazaki stomping to catch up.

 _Huh_.  He must have been really lost.

The grocery store isn’t crowded when they arrive.  Haru doesn’t bother to look back at his new companion as he makes his way inside.  Surely Yamazaki will be able to find his way home without help.  Hopefully.  But that’s not Haru’s problem.  

Instead of concerning himself with it, he heads straight for the fish section, as he does every time he arrives at the store.  There's nothing that makes Haru happier then to see that there is fresh mackerel in stock.  He doesn’t even have to ask the worker there for help before she’s wrapping a few pounds up for him.  Nodding in gratitude, he carefully inspects the meat, pleased to see it's of high quality.

He would consider this a great store run in and of itself usually, but he'd told himself earlier he would bake Makoto something sweet.  And his poor best friend probably deserves a treat too, after being traumatized like that.

It won't be too much trouble, so Haru sets off to find some eggs.  Perusing the aisles, he slowly gathers the remaining ingredients. Unfortunately though, the store is somehow out of vanilla extract, which is a fairly important ingredient if he wants to make Makoto's favorite caramel coffee cake.

Haru wrinkles his nose in frustration.  He could go all the way back to the cafe to raid his stock there, but it doesn’t seem entirely worth it.  

Taking a step back, he surveys the shelves one last time.  There, on the very top, sits a single vial, pushed nearly back against the wall.  Frowning, Haru stretches out his arm for it, but to no avail.  Even when he stands on his tiptoes, his fingers are still inches from touching it.  

 _Annoying_ , he thinks.  Haru, although not tall, is definitely not short either, nor is he the type of person to ask for help at a grocery store. He’s debating whether it would be worth it to attempt to scale the shelves himself, when a heavily muscled arm reaches out over his shoulder and snatches the vial up.

Haru spins around to find Yamazaki glowering at him, a grocery bag in one hand and the vanilla clenched in the other.  Averting his eyes, he shoves the vial into Haru’s face.  “Here.”  

Yamazaki’s ears are bright red, a flush rising up his neck.  Haru supposes this is might be his way of trying to thank him, or maybe he's just trying to be nice.  Who knows.  

“I didn’t need your help,” he replies reflexively, but accepts the vanilla nevertheless.  

“Just take it, Nanase,” Yamazaki grunts, embarrassed. 

Haru doesn’t stop to ask when the officer had picked up his name.  “Do you need help getting back?” he sighs.

The familiar scowl appears on Yamazaki's face again as he clenches his jaw.  “No-” he snaps defensively.  “I can make it.”

Haru side-eyes him dubiously, but goes to pay for his food without saying anything more.  

He kindly refrains from commenting on the fact that Yamazaki continues to trail after him the entire way back to his house.  It’s not like it really affects him anyway, as the police officer remains completely silent.  This suits Haru just fine; he’s never been one for small talk anyway.

By the time he arrives back at his house, he’s nearly forgotten about the other’s presence altogether.  Still, for whatever reason, he decides to hover at the base of his house, glancing at Yamazaki with a cocked eyebrow.  

“Do you live near here?”

Yamazaki flinches, as if surprised he’s being addressed.  “Yeah,” he says, looking a little sheepish.  

Haru furrows his brows.  Did Yamazaki really think he’d been stealthy enough to go unnoticed the whole way back? It had been _pretty obvious_.

Instead of voicing this, Haru offers an indifferent shrug.  “You can find your way?”

He receives only an eye roll in response, which isn’t very convincing.  “I’ll be fine, Nanase,” Yamazaki says finally, twisting the grocery bag in his hands.

From what Haru has seen tonight, he finds that a little hard to believe.  Nevertheless, he nods, brushing his bangs from his face.  “Come back to the cafe sometime, Yamazaki,” he calls and allows a trace of warmth to seep into his voice.  Whoever this guy is, Haru decides that he doesn’t really mind him being around.  He’s amusing, at the very least.

“Right," Yamazaki says softly, still frozen in place.  His eyes shift from the ground to Haru's face, mouth lifting with just the hint of a grateful smile.  "See you around.”

* * *

 “Momo-kun!  You have to be careful!”

“But this is faster!”

“That’s- WAIT!”

The unmistakable sound of clattering dishes rings through the cafe.  Haru doesn’t bother to even glance over his shoulder.  He tightens his grasp on his whisk with a quiet shrug, having long since grown accustomed to this.

It’s only a few more seconds before the kitchen door is thrown up and a very frazzled looking Nitori Aiichirou stumbles in.  He fidgets nervously, a newly formed syrup stain on his apron.

“Nanase-san, another order of pancakes please!  As quickly as possible!  I’m sorry!”

He bows repeatedly, lip trembling.  “It wasn’t Momo-kun’s fault!  We’ll do better next time!”

That’s a blatant lie; in both the fact that the accident had undoubtedly been Mikoshiba’s fault, and that they’d probably break another dish within the week.  But Haru’s used to the excitable redhead’s antics, and hardly bothers to react as he reaches for the batter again.  “It’s Haru.”

“R-right, Nanase-san! I mean… _Haru_ ,” Nitori squeaks, sheepish.  

“It’s fine,” Haru says, as he does every time, and turns away to stir the batter.  

Ai bows a few more times before grabbing a pitcher of orange juice and racing out of the kitchen.  Haru shakes his head fondly, mouth lifting up a little.  There may be a few more shattered dishes at his cafe then average, but he’s never regretted his choices for servers- even if Mikoshiba does tend to drive people up a wall upon occasion.

The kitchen is warm and comfortable this morning, permeating the familiar smell of freshly baked pastries.  It’s one of Haru’s favorite scents, behind only grilled mackerel and maybe salt water.  Warm days spent in his kitchen are relaxing and he doesn’t mind passing most of his time there.

Outside, Mikoshiba’s shrill voice rings through the cafe.  “Rin! Hi!”  Haru doesn’t need to see him to know the young waiter is bouncing excitedly, and probably dangling off their friend’s back.  

“Hey Momo!  Where’s Haru?”

A pool of dread forms in Haru’s stomach even before those words have reached his ears.  He sulks quietly, knowing what’s about to come.  

“In the kitchen, of course!”

“Great!”

“Matsuoka-san, you’re not supposed to-” Ai squeaks, in a poor attempt to stop Rin from invading an employee only area.

But Rin, being Rin, doesn’t think anything of barging inside Haru’s sanctuary.  There's a giant smirk on his face as he struts inside, hands on his hips.  “Hey, Haru!  Have any time to chat?”

There’s no point in saying no.  Having Rin as one of your closest friends for years tends to drain the fight out of you, and Haru has learned to just go along with whatever antics he comes up with.  As things stand, the only act of defiance he can muster is to shoot Rin a hateful look as he turns off the burner, before he’s roughly tugged outside, shrugging at Ai as he’s pulled by.

“Just a few minutes,” Rin assures happily.  “Hey, Sousuke!”

Yamazaki is sitting on one of the stools near the counter, watching Rin tug Haru along with an expression that looks equal parts exasperated and amused.

“Shouldn’t he be working?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at his fellow officer.

“Yes,” Haru deadpans, though Rin promptly disregards this exchange.

“ _Please_.  There’s hardly anyone here.  And I figured you guys should meet and all,” Rin says, slinging an arm over Sousuke’s shoulder.  This elicits a heavy sigh, but Yamazaki seems pretty accustomed to Rin as well and doesn’t even try to push him away.

“We already have,” Haru mumbles, crossing his arms across his chest.

“What? Seriously?” Rin asks, and punches Sousuke’s shoulder.  “When?”

“Um…”  Yamazaki’s eyes flit to Haru, cheeks turning pink.

“He came in Saturday,” Haru cuts in.  “Ordered pie.”

“Ah, seriously?  I know I told you about this place, but I didn’t honestly think you’d be able to find it without my help.” Rin pouts, leaning onto his friend’s shoulder.

Yamazaki rolls his eyes, though Haru doesn’t miss the grateful glance he sends in his direction.  “There’s a giant sign with a waterfall.  Even I can find that.”

“Wow, sorry for doubting you, Mr. ‘I frequently get lost on my own college campus’.”

“It was big!”

“Not really!”

Haru rests his weight against the counter and watches the two of them banter with a blank look on his face.  He notes thoughtfully that Sousuke seems far less uncomfortable with Rin here; his deep scowl now replaced with an almost fond smirk.

“The pie was good, though,” Sousuke is saying, negating the fact that he’d told Haru it was simply ‘decent’ the other night.  “So thanks for that.”

“Blah.  That’s why I recommended this place to you.  But I can’t stand sweet things.”

"Gee, you've only mentioned that once or twice."

“Shouldn’t you guys be working?” Haru interrupts in a dull voice, quirking his head to the side.  He's still a little annoyed at being dragged from his kitchen.  Despite that it's too early for the lunch rush, he can't very well stand here and watch the two idiots banter for hours.

Rin scowls.  “Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Haru.  We still have a half hour before our shift.  Which reminds me, do you still have those banana nut muffins?”

“I thought you hated sweets,” Yamazaki cuts in.

“They aren’t that sweet!  And they’re good, okay?” Rin grumbles defensively.

Grinning, Sousuke ruffles his hair.  “Right, right, of course,” he says, with a touch of sarcasm.  “I’ll have one too." He flicks his gaze toward Haru, shaking his head.

Haru nods at them, eyebrows raised.  It’s almost amazing that the grumpy, awkward Yamazaki from the other night could be the same person sitting in front of him here.  Not that it’s any of his business.

“And coffee, of course,” Rin adds, with an exaggerated yawn.  "It's still too early to be up."

"It's like ten o'clock."

"Too early!"

“I’m on it!” Momo chirps, dashing for the coffee maker without having to be asked.  

“So…” Rin places a hand on the counter, eyes growing soft.  “How’s Makoto?  Has he figured out the whole cat thing?”

It takes some effort for Haru to resist the urge to narrow his eyes in the redhead’s general direction.  Rin has the subtly of a brick to the face sometimes, and he seems to think the starry-eyed expression he gets whenever Makoto is around, or even mentioned, has gone completely unnoticed.

“Why do you ask?” Haru sighs, bending to take the muffins from the display case.

“Because we’re friends!” Rin quips in reply.  “But are you letting him keep the cat?  He seemed so attached.”

“It had an owner.” Haru pushes the muffins toward the two officers, still disinterested in the entire conversation.

“Ah, man.  Was he upset?  Maybe we should go buy him one for his birthday. I mean, you guys have a house!  Why haven't you gotten a cat yet?”  He twists around to speak to Sousuke, eyes shining.  “You need to meet Makoto too, Sou.  He’s a firefighter, I’m sure you’ll like him.”

“Yeah, you mentioned him once or twice,” Sousuke snorts, nudging Rin in the side.   Haru allows himself a secretive smile as he turns away.  It’s nice to know that he’s not the only one who has noticed this new development, despite that Rin has been doing a terrible job at trying to hide it.

“Well, he’s my friend!” Rin huffs, flustered.  

Thankfully for all of them, Momo finishes the coffee before Rin can embarrass himself too much.  He practically skips forward in his haste to pour them each a mug, a wide smile on his lips.  

“Did you fight any bad guys this week?” he asks excitedly.

“If you mean enforcing parking violations, then yep,” Rin replies, accepting his cup gratefully.

“Ah!  That’s boring!” Momo whines, flinging his arms out so that the coffee pot almost sloshes out onto the floor.  “I thought being a police officer would be cool.”

“It’s not as exciting as you might think, Momo,” Rin laughs, and Sousuke grunts in agreement.  “But we want it that way.”

Momo continues to whimper childishly, taking a step back in order to strike one of his dramatic poses.  “That’s no fun!” he cries, throwing his other arm out.  

Unfortunately, he manages to back directly into poor Nitori, who had happened to be carrying a pitcher of milk in each hand.  There’s a painful moment where Haru watches him wobble with a panicked expression on his face before his legs fall out from under him, sending both the full pitchers flying.  One pours all over Momo, soaking his uniform through with milk, while the other dumps directly onto Rin’s lap.

A tense silence ensues where they all just gawk at the gigantic mess.  The other patrons turn to stare at them with varying degrees of surprise and disinterest.  Most don’t seem that affected.  Haru supposes anyone who comes here on a regular basis would have come to expect something of this respect, especially when Momo's working.  

The silence is broken when something close to growl rips from Rin’s throat.  “Momo!”  

Momo bolts for the kitchen with a rather unmanly yelp, the coffee sloshing around and dripping behind him, along with the trail of milk from his now ruined outfit.  Haru presses his hand to his forehead and listens to Rin sputter in shock.

“M-Matsuoka-san, I’m so sorry!” Nitori cries, frantic.  There are tears in the corners of his eyes and his hands are trembling.  “I-I’ll p-pay for a new uniform just- I’m sorry!”

And Rin must sense the fact that Nitori is on the verge of tears, because the fury quickly melts from his expression to be replaced by a wary grimace.  

“Uh- hey, Ai.  Do I have to remind you again? Don’t be so formal.  I mean, it’s not that big of a deal.  No need to cry over spilt milk, right?”

Nitori’s bottom lip shakes.  “R-Rin,” he mumbles, eyes still watery.  “I’m so sorry!  Here, I’ll help.” He grabs Rin’s wrist without warning and yanks him up with surprising strength, ferrying him toward the back of the cafe.  “I can probably wash it off quick!”

“Hey, Ai, wait-” the officer protests, but it’s all for naught.  The door to the kitchen swings shut behind them, muffling the sounds of the commotion going on inside.

Sousuke glances at Haru, seemingly bewildered.  There’s a splash of milk on his uniform, but it’s nowhere near ruined like Rin’s.  “You have some really interesting employees here, Nanase.”

Letting out a tired puff of air, Haru merely turns around to search for the mop.  “You get used to it,” he deadpans, wincing when he hears another crash from the kitchen, followed by Momo’s high-pitched scream.  He keeps his back to them, having no desire to find out what it is that’s going on.

“Sounds fun,” Yamazaki grumbles, before taking a bite of his muffin.  “These aren’t bad, by the way.”

Haru looks up over the mop to shoot him a disbelieving look, “Thanks,” he says dryly, and pivots around the counter to begin mopping up the puddle of milk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, well here's the second chapter! Haru really has his patience tested, but he's like the parent of his little cafe haha. And Sousuke is just a poor awkward turtleduck who probably follows his friends around at parties.
> 
> Feedback is always welcome, and I've appreciated all the nice stuff people have said so far!
> 
> Like always, feel free to message me on tumblr at hopenobodyeverfindsthis.tumblr.com with anything
> 
> Next chapter: Haru goes for a swim to relieve his stress, Makoto gets flustered, and Sousuke tries to enforce the 'no swimming in the duck pond' rule.


	3. Chapter 3

“Haru, it’s too cold to go swimming now!  The pools aren’t even open this late,” Makoto calls, upon finding his best friend trying to sneak out of the house in nothing but a swimsuit.  “You’ll get sick.”

Frowning in annoyance, Haru nevertheless humors the other and stalls in the entrance.  Reluctantly, he lifts his gaze to meet the concerned eyes of his best friend.  “Don’t worry, Makoto,” he says, and proceeds to pull on a jacket, before bolting out the door.

“That’s not what I meant!” Makoto calls after him, but Haru has already sprinted away, the cool air rushing against his face.  He slows to a comfortable jog after a few minutes of running, inhaling deeply.

He's not surprised when he hears the thud of a familiar gate behind him, and heavy, gasping breaths.  “H-Haru!” Makoto pants.  “Don’t do that!”

Haru makes a face at him, but grinds to a halt immediately so that the other can catch his breath.  He can’t bring himself to run away again, because he knows his friend will only follow, with no regard for if his body can take it.  And though Haru is aware it has been many years since any incident, he still can’t shake the memory of a young Makoto choking for air during his first asthma attack, after Haru had carelessly sprinted off, leaving the boy alone and terrified.

Makoto would probably lecture him for it if he knew this, but it’s the way they’ve always been.  It’s the same reason that Makoto insists on accompanying Haru on his ridiculous mission to find a place to go swimming an hour after sunset.

“It’s probably not smart to go running in just your swimsuit, Haru,” Makoto sighs, shaking his head.  “That can’t be comfortable.”

Shrugging, Haru merely sets off in the same direction he’d been heading, this time at a more leisurely pace.  Makoto falls into step beside him, and they walk in companionable silence.

The previous week had been long and trying for Haru.  Momo and Ai managed to break a near record number of dishes at work, and Rin has made a habit of frequenting the cafe even more often than usual, sticking his obnoxious nose into Haru’s kitchen and forcing him to socialize, dragging a reluctant Yamazaki with him.  All-in-all, Haru just needs some time to decompress, and preferably in a body of water bigger than a bathtub.

Their town has a small park in its center, which blooms with cherry blossom every spring.  The blossoms blew away weeks ago, but the entire park still smells distinctly floral.  In it’s center, there’s a small pond, where children come during the summer months to feed the ducks.  A prominent ‘NO SWIMMING’ sign stands right in front of it, but that’s never stopped Haru before.  

Thankfully, the relatively cool weather and late hour means there’s no one else out, so Haru feels no guilt in stripping off his jacket in one expert movement and launching himself into the water.

Makoto doesn’t even try to stop him this time, and only rubs a hand down his forehead.  Haru sinks comfortably into the pond as he brushes past the reeds, revelling in the feeling of the cool water against his chin.

He floats on his back, only his nose peeking out from above the water, more than content to stay there forever.  His eyes slip shut, and he releases a soft breath, completely relaxed.

“Hey!  What do you think you’re doing?”

Grimacing, Haru squints one eye open, annoyed at whoever has decided to interrupt his tranquility.  He hears Makoto frantically jump to his feet, making panicked little sounds.  

“H-hey, it’s alright, sir!”  

“Is that your friend?” the man asks, and Haru’s eyes widen minutely, upon realizing he recognizes the voice.

“Um… yes, officer,” Makoto replies awkwardly.  “You see, he-”

“Can he see that sign there?”

“Well… yes…”

“And can you?”

“Um… yes… but-”

With a heavy sigh,  Haru forces himself to sit up in the water, narrowing his eyes in the police officer’s direction.  “Yamazaki.”

“Nanase-?”  Yamazaki blinks at him in disbelief.  “What are you doing?”

“Swimming,” Haru replies in a monotone, sinking down.

Yamazaki just stares at him in confusion.  He glances at Makoto, dumbfounded.  “Did he see the sign?”

Hugging his arms to his chest, Makoto rapidly nods, and lets out an uncomfortable giggle.  “Yes, Haru knows.  But they usually don’t enforce that rule anymore with Haru.  You see, he kind of-”

“Look, Nanase, you can’t swim in this pond,” Yamazaki raises his voice over whatever else Makoto was going to say, sounding very done with his job.  Makoto emits a nervous little sound and sends his best friend a guilty look.  Haru just shrugs at him.  It had been a valiant effort, at least, and it’s not his fault Yamazaki doesn’t seem to understand that nothing will keep Haru from the water.

“Nanase-” Yamazaki grits out.  “Just get out.”  He sounds kind of desperate, and a little flabbergasted.  Haru almost feels bad for him.  Not bad enough to get out of the pond, though.

“Is he actually going to just ignore me?” Yamazaki asks Makoto, in a dead voice.

“Um....”  Makoto scratches the back of his neck.  “Don’t worry, he’ll come out.” He sends Haru a pleading look.  “ _Haru_.” There’s a silent ‘I’m sorry’ in his voice as he desperately holds out a hand.  And even though leaving the pond is the last thing on earth Haru actually wants to do, he knows he can't continue to be stubborn.  Makoto wouldn't be able handle getting arrested.

Haru sluggishly pushes himself forward with both his arms, brushing by the pond weeds with a blank expression on his face, before accepting his friend's offered hand.   Glowering at Sousuke, he slowly stands up, shivering against the chilly air.  Makoto hurries to drape the jacket over his shoulders, looking on sheepishly.

For his part, Yamazaki has gone strangely quiet, an almost constipated expression on his face.  Makoto has to clear his throat before he finally seems to snap back to reality.

“Why- Why exactly were you swimming here.... Nanase?” Yamazaki snaps.  His voice sounds oddly strained and the tips of his ears are turning red, but he still seems fairly angry.  

Pouting, Haru hugs the jacket to his body.  “I’m allowed to.”  Or at least, he’s allowed to insofar as people have given up on trying to stop him.

“No, you’re not.”

“Ask Rin.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it.”

It’s likely that Yamazaki could just say no and arrest him, but for some reason he decides to humor Haru, all as Makoto stands anxiously off to the side.  

He presses the button on his cell phone with unnecessary force, and brings it to his ear, scowling.

“Rin-”

His scowl deepens at whatever it is that his best friend is saying.

“No, I’m not lost- No!” He grits his teeth.  “Look, I found Nanase swimming in the duck pond and-”  He isn’t able to get the whole sentence out.  Wincing, he holds the phone away from his ear, Rin's obnoxious cackling echoing loudly out of the speakers.

“You tried to make him get out of the pond-?” He chokes, wheezing.  “How’d that one go for you?”

Sousuke frowns deeply, mortified.  “Stop.”

“Shoot, Makoto is probably there too.  You didn’t scare him, did you?”

At that, Haru snorts aloud, as Makoto brings his hands to his face.  “ _Riiin_! I’m fine!” he cries, blushing.

“Don’t worry, Mako, Sousuke might look intimidating on the outside, but he’s actually about as threatening as a puppy.  So-”

Whatever else he was about to say is cut short, because Yamazaki ends the call with a grunt, his face burning red.  He sends Makoto a vaguely malevolent look, before shoving his phone into his pocket.   “Just do whatever,” he grumbles, before sulking off in the opposite direction.

And Haru doesn’t have to be told twice.  He flops back into the water happily, a small smirk on his face.

“Haru, that wasn’t very nice,” Makoto sighs, like the mother he is, but Haru dutifully ignores him.

* * *

Rei has stopped by today, which naturally means that Nagisa’s decided to forgo all work in favor of directing all of his energy towards flirting with him.  The cafe is pretty busy too, forcing Ai to scurry around with several trays in his hands, sending desperate glances in Nagisa’s direction; all of which are completely ignored.

Haru works the kitchen like he always does, making bentos and various other lunch dishes with expert speed.  Ai races by him, huffing and puffing, but without any spoken complaint.  

Even though poor Nitori is suffering and Nagisa is being less than helpful, Haru would still consider it to be a good afternoon. Without Momo around, they manage to go the whole time without breaking anything.

It’s just starting to slow down, when Haru hears Ai call a friendly greeting.  “Yamazaki-kun, hello!”

Haru furrows his brows, and reluctantly sticks his head out of the kitchen, expecting a redheaded annoyance to be leering at him from behind the counter.  But no, today it’s just Yamazaki, which is definitely abnormal.  In fact, as far as Haru can remember, this is the first time he’s come by himself since he’d had pie late that one night.

He nods at Haru briefly, before asking Ai for an order of curry rice.

Frying up Sousuke’s food only takes a few minutes, as Haru has long since mastered the simple process of making curry rice.  The lunch rush is beginning to wane now, so he decides to give Ai a much-deserved break and carry out the order himself.

Yamazaki watches him approach with an unreadable expression on his face, though he does look kind of angry.  Perhaps he’s still hung up on the pond incident from a few days prior- not like that’s Haru’s problem.

“Yamazaki,” he says with a polite nod, and sets the food in front of him.

“Thanks, Nanase,” Yamazaki replies.  He doesn’t waste a moment before shoveling a bite into his mouth, and Haru is pleased to see the way his eyes slip shut with contentment.  

He has always liked seeing anyone enjoy his cooking, but it’s particularly satisfying when it’s Yamazaki.  Haru is not entirely sure why.  Perhaps he gets some smug sort of enjoyment from getting Yamazaki to stop scowling, even if it’s just for a moment.

Swallowing loudly, Yamazaki sets down his fork.  “So, you do that often…?” he asks, in a gravelly voice, flicking his eyes to Haru’s face.

“Hmm…?”

“Swim in the duck pond,” Yamazaki clarifies, in a tired voice.

“Oh.  Sometimes.”  

“Why would you-” Yamazaki starts, but then cuts off, seemingly thinking better of it. “Actually, scratch that, I don’t even want to know.”

Haru cocks an eyebrow at him.  “I like to swim.”

“Right,” is the dry reply, before Yamazaki shoves another bite of rice into his mouth, gaze focused intently on his plate.

There seems to be something odd about Yamazaki’s behavior, but Haru figures he doesn’t know him well enough to really say for sure.  And it’s not as if he cares much either way, even if the thought does leave him feeling strangely uneasy.  He decides to go back to the kitchen before he can question himself too much.

However, he doesn’t get very far before Sousuke calls him back.  “Uh… Nanase.”  He scratches anxiously behind his ear, clearing his throat.

“Mhmm...?”

“The food is good so… thanks,” Yamazaki says awkwardly.  

Haru's mouth falls open, curious.  

It’s weird.  This is the first time Yamazaki has ever complimented his food genuinely.    Haru’s not sure what to make of it, or why he would start now.  It’s not like he expects people to praise his food every time they order something.  In fact, he usually prefers to have as minimal interaction with other human beings as possible.  

Maybe Rin has been trying to force Yamazaki to be more polite or something.  God knows Makoto’s been trying for years to get Haru to do the same.

With this thought, he realizes that he’s been standing there staring at Yamazaki for an uncomfortably long period of time, which Makoto would probably constitute as ‘rude’.  “It’s no problem,” he replies coolly, brushing his hair from his face.  

“Maybe stop trespassing on public property though,” Yamazaki adds.  “Like ponds.”

What a ridiculous notion.  

“Not going to happen,” Haru says in a monotone voice.  He scoops up a handful of dishes and pivots away before he can catch Yamazaki’s reaction.  

It’s only then that he notices a pair of bright eyes fixed clearly on them.  Haru only has a moment to be confused as to why Nagisa would stop paying attention to Rei (who’s probably stretching his lunch break by this point) before the blond flashes his signature shit-eating grin, and winks.

A terrible sinking feeling forms in Haru’s stomach, but he resolves to ignore it.  Perhaps if he refuses to acknowledge whatever Nagisa is doing altogether, the blond will just forget about it, and Haru won’t have to consider what exactly it’s supposed to mean.  

Knowing Nagisa, that's admittedly painfully unlikely, but he can hope.

* * *

Far up on a hill above their town, there’s a small gazebo that rests on a cliff overlooking the homes below.  It’s become a popular spot for the local stray cat population, likely because both Haru and Makoto have taken to feeding them there whenever possible.

Today, Haru is by himself.  He’d carried along a large tray of fish, but the cats have already eaten through it.  Now they crawl over him and nuzzle at his sides in hope of more, or rest lazily at his feet.

Haru sits in silence, gently stroking their backs.  It’s peaceful in this little corner of his world, and it’s nice to get away from the commotion his life has become lately.  Up here on the cliff, he can let his mind wander without thinking of anything in particular.

Haru’s so zoned out, he probably wouldn’t even have noticed the other man entering the gazebo, had he not heard the loud thud and following grunt of pain.

He turns his head in surprise, a little peeved at having someone intrude on his space.  Yamazaki is crouching in the entrance, rubbing his forehead where he'd whacked it on the beam seconds before.

“Yamazaki?” Haru mumbles, pushing himself to his feet.  The cats scatter around his ankles, meowing at him.  He takes a few steps forward, hoping that the taller man has not managed to give himself a concussion.  “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Yamazaki lies, grimacing when he removes his hand.  “I’m fine.  Just decided to go for a walk.”

“Lost again?”

He receives a half-hearted glare in response.  “I’m not allowed to just go out?  I’ve hardly had time to look around town since I moved here.”

This seems like a decent alibi, but Haru can’t help but feel bitter at him for ruining his peace and quiet.  Still, he probably shouldn’t just send Yamazaki off on his own, especially on the off chance he has actually given himself a concussion.

“Sit,” he sighs, gesturing to the bench.  He plops himself back down, allowing an orange tabby cat to leap into his lap, and waits for the other to follow.

Yamazaki seems wary at first, but accepts Haru’s invitation after a moment of deliberation.  He frowns uncertainly at the large gathering of cats skirting around his legs.  One nips at his jeans and he flinches, but Haru nudges it away with his foot.

“Where’d they all come from?”  

Shrugging, Haru tickles a cat behind the ears. “Who knows,” he says, instead of explaining.  It's not like he really can say for sure.  Cats are hard to understand, after all; an enigma to most people, not unlike Haru himself.

Sousuke glances down.  “Fair enough.  Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised you’re some sort of cat whisperer.”

“That’s Makoto,” Haru clarifies in a monotone voice.  Makoto is the one who truly befriends the cats.  Haru just coexists with them.  He thinks they’re all happier this way.

Yamazaki doesn’t seem to know what this means, but he doesn’t ask.  Haru's thankful for that. They sit quietly for a few minutes, with only the persistent meowing of the cats to break the silence.  

“Hey, Nanase,” Yamazaki says eventually, folding his hands in his lap.  Haru spares him a glance but says nothing, so he continues. “Why’d you decide to move here of all places?  Rin said you were from the city originally.”

“Why did you?” Haru counters.  He briefly pauses stroking the head of a particularly overweight feline to brush a stray hair from his face.  It hisses at him in irritation.

“I asked you first.”

Haru sighs.  He’s not particularly fond of conversation, but he supposes it’s not that bad when it’s just him and Yamazaki.  “It’s quiet….” he says, but then his thoughts flash to images of Momo and Rin and he amends, “...usually....  Cooking is nice, but dealing with too many strangers is a pain.  And my friends are here.”  

This seems to be a nice summary; short and sweet, without going into much detail.  Yamazaki doesn’t need his full life story just yet.  Whatever the history, Haru has come to think of this place as his home, and he’s never really regretted his decision to drop out of college to purchase his Waterfall Cafe, even if his parents thought he was crazy.

Yamazaki grunts. “I guess I never liked the city that much.  But this town is tiny.  Wouldn't somewhere else be better for business?”

Haru raise an eyebrow at him.  “You live here too.”  ‘And you still get lost in it,’  Haru thinks, but doesn’t say.  He couldn’t imagine someone like Sousuke surviving in a big city.

“Yeah," Sousuke huffs, averting his gaze.  "That’s a long story.”

Haru stares at him, showing no indication that he wants to hear more.  He supposes that Sousuke must really need to get this off his chest, however, because he carries on anyway.

“There was an incident,” he draws in a shallow breath, “back at my old job in the city.  Long story short, I couldn’t stay there any longer.  Then Rin told me they had a job opening on the force here. I never really saw myself living in somewhere this small, but it’s nice to be close to Rin.” He frowns, reaching for his shoulder.  “And I guess I just wanted to get away.”

In the back of Haru’s mind, he remembers a few months ago, when Rin had left abruptly on an emergency trip to the city.  At the time, he’d thought very little of it, aside from some fleeting concern for his friend.  He knows at some point Rin briefly mentioned visiting someone in the hospital, but he hadn’t bothered to ask, and had quickly forgotten about the whole incident afterward.

Only a week or two later Rin had returned loudly preaching the arrival of his best friend from the city joining their police unit.  Haru never would have thought to put two and two together, but it makes sense now.

“I’m sorry,” he says aloud, expression softening.

“There’s nothing I can do,” Yamazaki replies, shaking his head.  “No use thinking about it.  But thanks, Nanase.”

“-Haru,” Haru corrects, tilting his head to the side.  They still don’t know each other that well, but he’s always found formalities annoying.  It’s much less effort just to go by given names.  Or that’s what he tells himself.

Sousuke’s eyes widen a little, mouth falling open.   He seems caught off guard for a moment, but then gives a shallow nod.  “Haru.”

Humming, Haru gently nudges a cat into the other’s lap, and watches it nuzzle against the taller man's arm.  Sousuke looks a little uneasy at first, but then sets a hand on its fuzzy back, eyes growing soft.

The time has grown late, and Haru knows he needs to return to the cafe soon.  With a loud sigh, he pushes himself to his feet, strolling toward the exit of the gazebo.  

Sousuke glances up at him, frowning.  Perhaps Haru should invite him to come along, but he needs a moment to himself after this conversation.  As a grown adult, Sousuke _should_ be able find his way back without help.  Or at least, one would hope.

“Need to go to work,” Haru explains.  “See you around... Sousuke.”

He turns away, leaving the police officer there with a slightly dumbfounded expression on his face and a pile of cats attempting to climb his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sousuke; the more he learns about how weird Haru is the more he likes him. And Haru is the type of person who probably confuses romantic feelings with indigestion. So they're screwed.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the comments! They make me so happy, and excited to keep writing! 
> 
> As always, message me on tumblr at hopenobodyeverfindsthis.tumblr.com
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated, and I'll try to have the next chapter up by next week!
> 
> Next Chapter: Sousuke rescues a stray cat and Haru gets caught in the rain.


	4. Chapter 4

Haru’s just finished getting ready for bed, having tugged on the dolphin-print flannel pajamas that Rin bought him as a joke last Christmas.  His hair is still damp from the bath, but Makoto is conked out on the couch after a long day at the fire station, so there’s no one to lecture him to dry it.  

Yawning, he pads into their living room with a fleece blanket in his arms.  He quietly drapes it over his friend’s shoulders, careful not to wake him.  Makoto makes a soft sound, but then sinks into the cushions, face relaxing.

Haru shakes his head at him fondly.  Makoto can never remember to take a break.  He’s always had a terrible habit of overworking himself to nearly the point of passing out.  He seems to mother everyone, except himself.

Releasing a small sigh, Haru flicks off the lamp, and heads for his bedroom.  He’s stopped, however, by a quiet knock on his door.  He furrows his brows in confusion.  It’s rare they ever get visitors, and certainly not this late at night.  Likely, it’s one of their friends come to bother them, and Haru does not need Nagisa, or _god forbid_ , Rin, waking Makoto from some much needed rest.

He walks hesitantly toward the door, unlocking it and pulling it open a crack.  Instead of Rin or Nagisa, he finds Sousuke there, wearing his police uniform and clutching a small bundle to his chest.  Haru frowns, mildly surprised, but tugs the door open the rest of the way.

“Hey,” he says, in a hushed voice, careful to shut the door behind him.

For a moment, Sousuke just stares at him, appraising his outfit with an odd expression on his face.  

Haru cross his arms and raises an eyebrow, as if to say ‘You’re the one knocking on my door this late at night.’

“Sorry…” Sousuke states, clearing his throat.  “I didn’t mean to wake you or anything.”

“You didn’t,” Haru replies, craning his neck a little to glance around the taller man.  There’s no sign of anyone else here too, which is odd.  Though he’s pretty certain he and Sousuke have now breached the boundaries of what probably constitutes friendship, they’re not quite at the ‘show up on the other's doorstep late at night for no reason’ stage either.

His thoughts are cut off by a high-pitched squeak, and the bundle in Sousuke’s arms squirming around.  Haru had momentarily forgotten about it, but now he can see a tuft of grey fur sticking out from the top of the blanket.

With a shaky breath, Sousuke pulls the blanket back, his eyes softening.  The small face of a cloudy-grey kitten peeks out, it’s large eyes focused intently on Haru.  It purrs and fidgets in Sousuke’s arms, one of its paws emerging to claw at his skin.

“We found this little guy while out on a call.  Apparently he and his siblings had taken up residence in some old lady’s attic, and she thought they were ghosts or something,” he explains, frowning when the small feline tries to scratch him again.  “All his siblings scattered to somewhere else, but he got trapped under a beam, and was injured.  We patched him up, but the shelter is closed for the night, and my apartment doesn’t allow animals.”

Haru blinks, then tentatively reaches out a hand toward the obviously distressed cat.  It tenses for a moment, yet makes no move to bite him, and slowly relaxes as he strokes its head, rubbing soothing circles there.

“Since you seemed to know a lot about cats,” Sousuke starts, averting his eyes in a way that’s almost shy,  “maybe you could take him in for the night?”

Humming, Haru gently brushes his fingers against Sousuke’s arm as he moves to get closer to the kitten, crouching a little to get a better look.  “Okay.”

“Are you sure?”  Sousuke asks, voice breathy.  “I could find somewhere else, or sneak him in at my place.

“It’s no problem,” Haru replies curtly, his hands frozen in the moment right before he takes the small bundle into his arms.  There’s something strange going on, something he doesn’t quite understand.  Some inexplicable tension he’s been sensing around Sousuke more and more recently.  He’s not sure if he likes it or not.

“Hey, Haru-”  Sousuke begins in a soft voice.

Haru’s mouth falls slightly open.  “Mhmm….?”

But then the front door swings open, causing them both to flinch. The cat startles where it’s balanced between them, mewing in annoyance.  

“...Haru?” Makoto mumbles blearily, trying to fight back a yawn.  His hair is disheveled, and he still looks half-asleep in his ruffled t-shirt and sweats. He takes a wobbly step outside, rubbing at his eyes.

“Makoto.  Go back to sleep.”

Makoto doesn’t seem to hear him.  “What’s going on?  Is everything okay?” he asks, a little dazed.  

His eyes proceed to light up immediately, though, upon noticing the grey kitten that is now tensed in Sousuke’s hands.  Its blanket is sliding over its back and toward the ground, as it squirms around in a panic to get free.  

“Oh! Hello,” Makoto coos in a gentle tone, leaning forward to smile at it.  It perks up with the sound of Makoto's voice and he practically melts under its gaze.  “Is he hurt?” he breathes, growing concerned.

Haru nods.  The back of his hand brushes casually against Makoto’s side. “Sousuke wants us to look after him for the night.”

“Oh, we can do that, it’s no trouble,” Makoto assures, taking the cat from the man's arms without prompting and cradling it tenderly to his chest.  He hardly pays Sousuke any attention, too busy examining the cat's injured leg.  

“I can even take him to the vet tomorrow before work,” he adds with a small frown.  He's trying to stay calm, but Haru can tell he's practically radiating excitement.  Makoto catches himself though, looking sheepishly in his best friend's direction.  “As long as it’s okay with Haru.”

A delighted smile blooms on his face even before he gets the subtle nod yes.  “It’s fine, Makoto.”

“Okay!  Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him.  Thank you so much for taking him here, Yamazaki-kun,” Makoto calls, and hurries into the house with the cat tucked protectively under his arm, no doubt in search of some food for the new addition to their family.

Haru watches him go with an amused smile, before glancing back to Sousuke.  It’s only then that he notices that the man’s priorly shy expression has turned guarded, and that his mouth has dropped into a scowl.

“Sousuke…?” he breathes, tugging on the sleeves of his pajama shirt.

Sousuke grunts, straightening his shoulders.  “It’s nothing.  Thanks for the help, Haru,” he mumbles, seemingly distracted.  Clenching one hand into a fist, he pivots and walks away without another word.

* * *

“Hey, Ai, look at this-”

“Momo-kun, I’m trying to work, could you just- EEEK-” Ai cuts off with a loud squeal, as Nagisa’s entertained laughter joins the cacophony outside.

“Ai!  He’s friendly.  Don’t worry, he’s not venomous!  Well… I mean, he _is_ poisonous, but I’m not asking you to eat him!”  

“That doesn’t make me feel any better!”

Haru sets down his spatula with a heavy sigh, finally giving in.

In the dining area, Momo is weaving through the tables with a large beetle clutched in his hands, while Ai frantically scurries away, a terrified expression on his face.  The few customers currently eating shoot them weird looks, but Momo doesn’t seem to care, and Ai is too frightened to notice.

Nagisa is standing behind the counter, giggling incessantly and doing absolutely nothing to help his poor friend.  He beams at Haru as soon as he sees him, and excitedly latches onto his arm.

“Pretty good day, don’t you think, Haru-chan?” he croons, over the sound of Ai shouting in the background.  

Haru proceeds to level him with a sharp glare.  

“Hey, don’t give me that look!”

Right before Haru is forced to intervene, a stern voice sounds throughout the cafe.  “Momo!”  The two servers instantly freeze; Ai looking relieved and Momo with a deer-in-headlights expression on his face.

“ _Sousuke-san_ ….” he whines, lip jutting out.  

Sousuke marches over to him with his arms folded across his chest, a disapproving expression on his face.  Momo can only sink back in dread as the officer approaches him.

“Are you being a pest, Momo?” Sousuke asks, mouth pressed into a firm line.

“Um… NO-”

He wails when Sousuke smoothly snatches the poor beetle away from him, and can only stand there powerlessly as the officer walks casually to the doors and releases it outside, watching it fly away with a smug look.

“No!” Momo cries.  “Sousuke-san!  How could you?!!”

“It’s for your own good, Momo.  If you keep this up, you’ll get fired.”

“Thank you, Yamazaki-san,” Ai breathes, bending over a table to catch his breath.

Haru snorts, and begins to wipe down the counter.  For the past few weeks, Sousuke has become something of a fixture here, coming in at the same time nearly every day, often without Rin in tow.  Over this time, Momo and Ai have taken quite a shine to him, if the way Ai dotes on him like a lost puppy and Momo constantly bothers him are any indication.

“Haru-san wouldn’t fire me!” Momo pouts, pressing himself to Sousuke’s side.

“I might,” Haru mumbles from where he stands, rolling his eyes at the dejected look that appears on Momo’s face afterward.  He gestures back toward the kitchen, and Momo slumps, already knowing what that means.  He sulks off to do the dishes with his tail between his legs, accepting his fate.

“You really keep some _interesting_ employees, Haru,” Sousuke says as he slides into a seat.  He seems exasperated, but his eyes betray his amusement, and he doesn't really seem to mind.  Haru's pretty sure he's taken a liking to Momo and Ai too, whether or not he would admit it.  Ai hurries around them, racing to grab Sousuke a cup of coffee.

“It is what it is,” Haru replies with a shrug, sparing Sousuke a tired smile.

Beside him, Nagisa raises an eyebrow knowingly and elbows Haru in the side, a wide grin on his face. “A _very_ good day,” he repeats obnoxiously, just loud enough that Haru can hear.

Instead of acknowledging him, Haru decides to pretend he didn’t hear anything.  “Pie?”

Sousuke rests his chin in his hand.  “I’ve had pie twice this week already.  I’m going to start putting on weight.”

Haru smirks, and slides the dessert to him anyway.  

“Did you even hear me?”

“You wanted it.”

Grumbling, Sousuke grabs his fork and stabs it into the breaded crust, rolling his eyes.

Haru allows himself a smug smile.  “Good?”

“When I die of heart disease before I’m fifty, I’m blaming you.”

Haru just clicks his tongue and resumes cleaning off the counter.  “Whatever.”

Meanwhile, Nagisa has been grinning wickedly in their direction the entire time.  

“You’ve been coming here pretty often lately, Yamazaki-kun.  You must really like all the desserts, huh?” he says, with a coy smile.  He does his best to look as innocent as possible, but there’s a devious glint in his eyes that leaves the whole act entirely unconvincing.

Sousuke looks away and shrugs.  Haru doesn’t miss the flush slowly rising up his neck as Nagisa continues to stare him down.  “It’s not like there’s a lot of places to eat in this town.”

“True! Haru-chan’s food is the best!  Haru-chan is the best!” Nagisa exclaims and clutches Haru’s arm, fluttering his eyelashes.   “Don’t you agree, Yamazaki-kun?”

“Uh…” Sousuke stutters, seemingly caught off guard by Nagisa’s exuberance.

Haru sighs and spares the blond a single disparaging glance.  “Go help Momo with the dishes.”

“Haru-chan!” Nagisa cries, clinging to his friend’s arm.  Haru merely shakes him off with an indifferent expression on his face.  

Nagisa pouts a little, but doesn't argue anymore.  “Fine.  See ya, around, Yamazaki-kun!” he sing-songs, and _winks_.  He shoots a peace sign before traipsing off toward the kitchen.

“Ignore him,” Haru mumbles, shaking his head dismissively.  

Not quite meeting Haru’s eyes, Sousuke slowly takes another bite.  “You have some really interesting employees,” he says again.

Haru just huffs as he watches Ai scurry by to refill Sousuke’s coffee mug.

“They’re something,” he concedes, and averts his eyes, just in time to see Nagisa and Momo sticking their heads out of the kitchen; Momo looking curious, and Nagisa with a massive smirk on his face.

Maybe he should consider looking into hiring different people.

* * *

After a particularly long day, Haru is more then ready to go home and spend possibly five hours in the bathtub.  If he's lucky, Makoto will be passed out already, and won't even be awake enough to make him ever get out.

However, he has only just stepped outside to lock up when he feels a drop of rain hit his nose.  He frowns.  Rain has never bothered him, but Makoto will probably lecture him for forgetting an umbrella.

He sets off at a faster pace to try to avoid getting drenched, but the weather doesn’t cooperate, and soon it’s on the verge of downpour.  Haru stops to stare up at the black sky overhead, ready to accept his fate.  There are worse ways to get sick then enjoying an early summer rain shower, he supposes.

“Haru?  What are you doing?” a voice calls, interrupting his tranquil thoughts.

Haru lifts his gaze, blinking the water from his eyes.  Sousuke stands in front of him with an umbrella clutched in his right hand, and his signature scowl on his face.  “You’re going to get sick, you idiot.”

‘You sound like Makoto,’ Haru thinks, lifting an eyebrow.  “I’m fine,” he settles on saying instead, which is probably what he would have said to his best friend anyway.

Sousuke makes a face at him, and then takes a few steps forward, so Haru is protected from the rain beneath his umbrella as well.  “Don’t you own an umbrella?”

“I don’t need one.  I like the water.”

“You're unbelievable,” Sousuke says with a sigh, and sets off down the sidewalk, waiting for Haru to follow.

Haru quirks his head to the side, but nevertheless falls into step beside him.  “You don’t have to walk with me.”

“I live this way anyway,” Sousuke mumbles, bowing to speak over the roar of the rain.  

A gust of wind blows by them, nearly ripping the umbrella from Sousuke’s hands, and he stumbles into the other’s side.  Haru balances him with his palms, furrowing his brows.

“Okay?”  he asks, not just because he’d nearly fallen over.  

Sousuke’s strange behavior is getting hard to disregard.  In fact, he seems almost _nervous_ now.  It confuses Haru.  Maybe he’s just wary of storms.

“Yeah.  Damn wind,” Sousuke grumbles, readjusting his grip on the handle of the umbrella, before taking off again at a faster pace.  Haru frowns, but doesn’t question it.

They walk in silence after this, neither making any attempt at conversation.  Haru stares at his damp feet as they slosh through the puddles, feeling oddly uneasy.

Luckily, his house is fairly close to the cafe and they don't have to walk far.  Soon, they're standing a few feet apart in front of Haru's door, both half-drenched despite Sousuke's best attempts with the umbrella.

“Thanks,” Haru says anyway, voice just audible over the rain.

Sousuke scratches the back of his neck with his free hand.  “It’s no problem.   Maybe try remembering an umbrella next time.”

“Probably won’t happen,” Haru deadpans, pausing in the entrance.

“Seriously, Haru?” Sousuke grunts, leaning a little closer.  "Unbelievable..."

It’s then that Haru registers their proximity; how he can now make out every small line and mark on the other man’s face.  Haru has always been a strong advocate for personal space, but he's surprised to find he doesn’t mind Sousuke being so close.  He’s not sure why.  They still don’t even know each other that well, and yet he can’t bring himself to move away.

They've been stalling awkwardly in front of the house for a good minute, and Sousuke has still made no move to leave.  He opens his mouth, as if to say something, but then falters, staring down at the path.  He clenches his fist around the umbrella’s handle. “How’s the cat doing?” he asks finally, trailing off.

Haru draws in a soft breath, mouth half open.  “Good,” he says, furrowing his brows.  “He’s healthy, at least.”

Sousuke swallows audibly.  “I’m glad.”

“Makoto named him Mittens.”

It’s an innocent enough statement, but it seems to flick some switch in Sousuke’s demeanor.  He stiffens instantly, and draws back, his gaze shooting to Haru’s front door.

“I have to go,” he says, voice rough, and doesn’t wait for a response before stalking off.

He leaves Haru stunned and standing alone on his front steps, wondering why he feels so distinctly disappointed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, Sousuke is in so deep. They'd both be so much better off if they could just use their words and talk about things.
> 
> I've really appreciated all of the response I've gotten from this story. It makes it more fun to write!
> 
> Message me on tumblr at hopenobodyeverfindsthis if you want to!
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated. I'll try and have more out by next week.
> 
> Next chapter: Rin panics, Sousuke is stupid, and Haru gets angry.


	5. Chapter 5

Three o’clock in the afternoon, and everything is going as usual. Haru cooks quietly in the back of the cafe, stirring vegetables into a bowl of noodles while Momo skips through the dining area with a wide grin on his face, handing out plates to customers and pouring coffee with only minimal spillage. Rei has decided to stop by again, which means Nagisa is now flirting with him instead of working, but this has grown to be expected.  Overall, there’s nothing strange about this particular day.

Except, there is one small absence that Haru can't help but notice.

Not that he would even admit it to himself, but Haru’s begun to anticipate Sousuke’s arrivals, even putting in the effort to save him a slice of his favorite desserts when he’s running late. They’ve gotten into something of a routine, with the officer showing up around the same time every day.  At the very least, Sousuke hasn’t missed stopping by on a Wednesday in weeks.

And yet, there’s no sign of him.

The most annoying part of this is that Haru knows it shouldn't bother him.  Sousuke is a police officer.  As Rin often reminds him, they have very little control over their schedules.  But despite knowing this, Haru finds himself glancing out to the dining area expectantly every time someone walks inside.

“Haru!” Momo calls, bouncing on his heels.  “I think I really impressed that cute girl at table six!”

“I doubt it.”

A dejected look falls on Momo’s face.  “Don’t be so mean,” he cries, nuzzling into Haru’s side.

He’s pushed away with very little sympathy.

“When’s Sousuke-san getting here?” Momo asks, in a whiny voice.  “I wanted to show him the cool picture my bro sent me.  He’s carrying like seven tunas with his bare hands and it’s awesome!”

While that sounds very interesting, Haru doesn’t need any of the context, or _god forbid_ , have Momo decide to show him said photographs.  

“Don’t know,” he says dismissively, without looking up.

“He wouldn’t stop coming, would he?”

“Who knows.”

“Do you think he got mad after I spilled that lemonade all over him?” Momo asks, in a panicked voice.

“Probably not.”

Momo slumps in defeat, seeing as he’s not going to get any particularly helpful responses from his boss, and wanders off to go help more customers.

Haru sets the dish he'd been working on aside, sprinkling on a few more spices for taste.  He’s about to start making an omelet, when the kitchen erupts with the sound of some peppy anime opening.  He furrows his brows, glancing curiously around the room.  The song stops, but then starts up again, and it takes Haru another moment to realize that it must be someone's ringtone.  He decides to ignore it for now, but the song just keeps repeating persistently, until it’s practically ringing in Haru’s ears with the force of its cheerfulness.  Groaning, he sets his spatula down, figuring he should probably alert whoever’s phone it is.  

There’s only one person here who could have such a ringtone.

“Nagisa,” he calls, sticking his head out of the door.  “Your phone.”

Pouting, Nagisa turns his head toward him.  He’s practically sitting in Rei’s lap, and it’s clear he doesn’t intend to move.

“Will you bring it to me, Haru-chan?” he asks, fluttering his lashes and looking a bit like a petulant child.

“It’s no problem if you have to-” Rei begins, but the blond waves him off casually.

“No, Rei-chan, I hardly get to see you anyway!  Haru-chan will bring it, it’s totally fine!”

Haru rolls his eyes.  Despite Nagisa’s logic that having to be away from his boyfriend for all of thirty seconds might destroy their relationship, he reaches to retrieve the cellphone anyway.  He knows from experience that giving in to Nagisa's whims is usually easier than the ensuing argument that would probably be lost anyway.

Nagisa takes the phone from Haru with a cheeky smile, but his face falls almost immediately upon glancing at the screen.  

“Rin-chan…?” he mumbles, flicking his finger across the screen.  “Haru-chan, there’s eight missed calls!”

“Yeah…”

Shaking his head, Nagisa bites his lip, scrolling through the messages.  

“Is everything okay, Nagisa-kun?” Rei asks in concern, placing a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder.

“I think you should check your phone too, Haru-chan,” Nagisa says instead of responding, his voice uncharacteristically uneasy.

Normally, Haru wouldn’t look at his phone during the day, but the worried expression on Nagisa’s face has him digging into his pocket to turn it on. It buzzes to life, and has barely been on for a second before it begins to explode with new messages, all from Rin.

_‘hey Haru’_

_‘reply for once?’_

_‘actually nvm thats stupid’_

_‘you never check your phone youd think id remember this by now’_

_‘haha wtf’_

_‘look im in the waiting room wasting time rantign at you becuz none of my friends will pic up their frcikig phones’_

_‘i mean i gues evryone is workin but’_

_‘im kinda freaking out’_

Understatement of the century, Haru thinks, frowning.  He glances towards Nagisa, who’s already hurrying back to the kitchen with his phone pressed to his ear. Good.  He’ll be significantly better at defusing the situation then Haru ever would be.  

Part of him just wants to quit reading the messages.  It’s not unheard of for Rin to make a huge deal over the most inane of situations, and trying to decipher whatever Rin is trying to say is giving him a headache.  Still, something keeps Haru from turning his phone off again.

‘ _fine.  sinceu prolly wont read this anuway ill just keep texting you cuz wat else am i suppposed to do since im useless’_

_‘i mean sousuke is such a freaking dumbass’_

_‘it was just a normal call but he’_

_‘just throws himself in front of me like a freaking idiot even tho i had it under control’_

_‘hurts his shoulder’_

_‘again’_

Haru’s jaw clenches involuntarily.  He can sense Rei looking on in concern, but can’t bring himself to look up.

_‘i mean hes fine but he dislocated his stupid shoulder and hes so self sacrificing and im so annoyed its so stupid why would he’_

The texts cut off there.  Maybe someone distracted Rin from his rambling at that point, or he’d just been too frustrated to continue.

“Haruka-san.  Is everything alright?” Rei asks, adjusting his glasses.

Haru swallows.  His mouth feels dry.  “Yes,” he says quietly, squeezing his cellphone in a death grip.  His palms have grown uncomfortably sweaty, but he manages to nod in a way that he hopes reveals nothing but his usual nonchalance.

“Haruka-san, do you need-”

“It’s fine,” Haru says, and turns back toward the kitchen.  “Don’t worry.”

“Yes, alright,” Rei replies, fumbling for his drink.  “Are you sure?  Nagisa-kun seemed quite distressed.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Haru replies, careful to keep his voice level.  He’s not sure why he’s so unnerved.  Rin said Sousuke would be okay.  While a dislocated shoulder sounds unpleasant, it certainly isn’t that big of a deal.  And yet, even knowing this, Haru feels vaguely nauseous.

In the kitchen, Nagisa is listening intently to Rin’s rambling, lips pressed together.  Momo has caught on to the commotion, hovering beside the blond with a frightened look on his face.

“Rin-chan, do you want us to go out there?” Nagisa asks, in a gentle voice.  He waits for a response, then makes a soft sound of acknowledgment.  “Well, okay.  Sorry for not answering earlier.”

Through the phone, Haru can hear Rin saying something snippy in reply.  Nagisa rolls his eyes playfully.  “I was working…” he grumbles, and then, upon noticing Haru’s dubious look, corrects, “Or at least, I was busy.”  He giggles innocently into the receiver, as Rin utters some sarcastic comment Haru can’t make out.

There’s something amazing about Nagisa’s ability to get Rin to calm down with only some light teasing and his friendly demeanour.  Laughing, he chirps a few more goodbyes and a final offer to stop by the hospital, and then hangs up.  The easy smile falls from his lips almost immediately.

“Is everything alright?” Momo asks, wringing his hands together uncertainly.

One look at Momo’s face, and the false optimism seems to return instantaneously.  Nagisa nods his head.  “Yes!  Sou-chan dislocated his shoulder in some police fight or something and they’re at the hospital.  I think Rin-chan was a little worried, but Sou-chan should be okay in no time.  Everything should be fine, so nothing to worry about.”  He offers a chipper grin, nudging the younger boy in the side.  Momo cocks his head, but then nods, resolving to catch Sousuke-san a stag beetle to make him feel better, and racing out the door.

“Was Rin okay?” Haru asks as soon as Momo has left the room.  He has a hard time believing his friend had been able to bounce back after sending so many incoherent text messages only a few minutes prior.

“He seemed a little shaken up,” Nagisa admits, sighing.  “But he sounded better after we talked for a little while.  I think he felt guilty about what happened.  But, like I said, Sou-chan will be totally okay,” he assures, and reaches forward to grasp Haru’s arm, eyes going soft.  

Haru blinks at him, clearing his throat.  “Okay.”

“Are you okay, Haru-chan?” Nagisa asks, tilting his head to the side.

Shrugging, Haru brushes him off, anxious to return to cooking.  “Why wouldn’t I be?  They’re fine, right?”

“Yes…” Nagisa replies, continuing to hover close to Haru.  “But it’s okay to be worried about it, Haru-chan.  If you wanna talk-”

“I’m fine,” Haru cuts him off in a firm voice, and shoots him a deadpan look.  “You left Rei outside alone.”

Nagisa doesn’t look fully convinced, but he takes the hint and leaves Haru to himself.  

* * *

That night, Haru curls himself on his and Makoto’s couch, unable to find sleep.  His mind won’t shut off, too consumed in a flurry of messy thoughts.  

He did text Rin back at some point, and the short response he'd received told him they were both fine and that Rin had calmed down significantly.  

Everything is okay, Haru reminds himself with a small scowl.  There’s no reason to worry at all.

And yet, sleep won’t come.

Makoto steps inside some time past midnight, returning from a late shift at the station.  He lets out a soft breath, before coming to sit beside Haru without a word.

“Haru-chan,” he says softly, resting a hand on Haru’s forehead.  “You feeling okay?”

Haru hums.  It’s not in Makoto’s nature to pry.  He could easily just shrug it off and send Makoto to bed without any sort of explanation, but he finds himself sitting up a little instead.

“Did Rin call you?”

“Ah, yeah,” Makoto replies with a frown.  “He sounded pretty stressed...  Are you worried about Yamazaki-kun?”

Huffing, Haru turns his face away, embarrassed.  He prides himself on being able to control his emotions, but Makoto has always been able to read him like a book.  It’s annoying.

“Not really.”

Shaking his head, Makoto places his hand on Haru’s back, rubbing a soothing circle there.  

“Rin said he’d be fine.  But I could tell he was worried too.  I try not to think about it, but being a police officer can be really dangerous, can’t it?”  He frowns, eyes pinching together in concern.

“So can being a firefighter.”

Makoto makes a face, brow furrowing.  “I’m sorry, Haru.  You probably have to worry a lot.”

“I don’t worry like you do.”

There’s a soft chuckle as Makoto leans closer to him.  “Still.  Do you want to go visit Yamazaki-kun tomorrow before you open up the cafe?  I think it might help Rin, and Yamazaki-kun might appreciate the distraction.  Sounds like Rin is doting on him a lot.”

“Sounds familiar,”  Haru says softly, shifting so that Makoto can rest against his shoulder.

“Ah, Haru.  Don’t be mean.”

Haru pokes him in the side.  “Only honest.”

“ _Haru_ ,” Makoto whines, before pulling them both to their feet.  “We should get to bed.  Are you sure you’re okay?”

Rolling his eyes, Haru follows Makoto down the hall to their bedrooms.  “Yeah.”

“Well, if you need me-”

“I know.  Go to sleep, Makoto.”

Makoto looks a little sheepish, but he steps into his room with a final concerned glance.  Haru blows his bangs from his face, shaking his head.  

Makoto always worries too much.

Still, he doesn’t get much sleep that night.

* * *

Upon Makoto’s insistence, they head to Sousuke’s apartment early the next morning.  Rin texts them the address, and they walk together in silence; Haru carrying over a fresh plate of Rin's favorite muffins, and a pot of soup.  

It’s obvious that Makoto is still concerned for him from the subtle furrow of his brow and constant glances he keeps sending his best friend's way.  

It’s silly, Haru thinks, as he pretends not to notice.  There’s nothing to be upset about.  Or so he tells himself, even if there’s been a foul taste in his mouth that hasn't gone away since yesterday afternoon.

Despite the early hour, Rin greets them at the door before they can even knock.  There's a tired smile on his face and prominent dark circles beneath his eyes. He pulls Makoto into a hug without any prompting, hiding his face in the crook of the taller man’s neck.  

Haru watches on awkwardly as it begins to stretch for a little longer than strictly necessary, but he lets it go. Rin could probably use the physical contact, as he looks like he hasn’t gotten much sleep either.

“It’s great to see you guys,” Rin says, breathless, once he finally takes a step away from Makoto.  “I’m starving.” He eyes up Haru’s muffins with a grin, earning himself an annoyed scowl from the chef.

“It’s no trouble,” Makoto replies in a gentle voice, as they make their way into the small apartment.  “How is Yamazaki-kun doing?”

These words have hardly left Makoto’s mouth before Rin appears to deflate, averting his eyes toward the ground.

“Alright, I guess.  He took some pain meds and is passed out right now, but he’s going to be fine.”  

He falls onto the sofa, looking exhausted.  

“Rin…” Makoto whispers, settling down beside him.  “How are you feeling?”

“Me…? I told you yesterday.  I wasn’t even hurt.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Rin tsks, shaking his head.  “Mako… you’re too nice.”

As if confirming this, Makoto just continues to level him with his signature patient look, inviting him to speak if he wants to, but without any pressure.

Sinking back, Rin brushes a stray hair from his face.

“It’s just… I was scared, you know?  Some criminal trying to punch me wouldn’t have been that big of a deal had Sousuke not barreled in front of me without any regard for his own safety.  And he’s always been that way.  Even if I had the situation under control…” He trails off, bowing his head.

Haru's throat has groan inexplicably tight as he listens to Rin's story.  His hands are starting to shake, so he busies himself with unwrapping the muffins from the saran wrap, hoping neither of the others notice.

“Such a self-sacrificing idiot.  Next time something worse could happen and it would be my fault…”  Rin continues, his face going red.

Makoto reaches over to clasp his wrist, and Haru wordlessly slides him a muffin.  He accepts it gratefully, taking a small bite.

“Well… it’s alright now,” Makoto says.  “And if you need anything, just ask us.”

“You guys…” Rin mumbles, eyes growing watery.  “I-”

“...Rin?”

Three heads turn to where a droopy-eyed Sousuke stands in the center of the living room, looking half asleep.  His right arm is held up in a sling, and he still seems pretty out of it.

Rin flinches.  “Sousuke! You should be asleep, you moron.  Go back to bed!”

Sousuke offers Rin a small, affectionate smile.  “Are you crying again?” he teases, and then rubs at his eyes with his good hand.  “I told you, I’m fine.”

Wrinkling his nose, Rin looks away.  “Just shut up, and get some rest.”

Sousuke’s fond expression falters, but then he finally seems to registers the presences of the other people there.  His eyes widen, before they fall  on Haru’s face.

“-Haru?”

Haru says nothing in reply.  He’s too busy staring at the sling over Sousuke's back, his lip curled.

“Oh, we just stopped by to bring food,” Makoto says, sensing the tension slowly mounting in the room.  “I’ll go try to heat up the soup.”

“Hey, don’t go near a stove alone,” Rin calls, hurrying after him, but not before sending Sousuke an unreadable look.

Haru doesn’t follow.  He stands in place, feeling his heartbeat picking up, pounding loudly in his ears.

“Haru…?” Sousuke repeats.  He runs his good hand through his hair, growing increasingly uneasy.  “I don’t know what Rin told you, but it’s not that big of a deal.  Rin's safe, at least, so no harm done. My shoulder… ah, has been giving me trouble since.... well… You didn’t have to-”

‘Rin's safe at least,’ the little voice in Haru’s head repeats derisively.  ‘But what about you?’

“You _idiot_ -”  

The words escape from Haru’s mouth without warning, the dangerous tone surprising even him.

Sousuke recoils like he’s been slapped, mouth falling open in shock.  “Hey-”

Trembling, Haru draws in a hitched breath.  Where this is coming from, he doesn’t know.  There was just something about Sousuke’s expression when he’d said that, like he’d die for Rin without a second thought, that sets his veins aflame.

“You can’t just-” Haru starts, frustrated that he can’t find the words to articulate himself. 

By now, Sousuke’s regained his wits enough to retaliate.  “Look, don’t you think Rin’s already given me this lecture?  I know!” he hisses, glancing away.

“No, you don’t,” Haru says clearly, balling his hands into fists.  “It’s- stupid and it’s not fair to anyone.”

Sousuke narrows his eyes.  “Who gave you the right to-”

But Haru doesn’t want to hear it.  His jaw clenches in frustration.  

“Don’t act like you don’t matter!” he shouts, words hanging heavy in the air.

A tense silence ensues.  Sousuke stares at him, dumbfounded to the point of speechlessness.  Haru can only gape, unable to comprehend what he’d just said.  He’s sure Rin and Makoto had been able to hear everything too, as he'd hardly been trying to be quiet.

Haru is not an emotional person.  He certainly is not the type of person to explode over something like this.  He has no idea why he’s so angry; why Sousuke’s indifference to his own well-being would bother him so much, when it’s none of his business.  

Sousuke still looks like he’s been punched in the face, and Haru doesn’t want to wait around long enough for him to recover.  Drawing in a strangled breath, he turns on his heels, before storming from the apartment.

He thinks he hears Makoto calling after him, but he ignores it, breaking into a sprint as he hurries down the path, willing himself to leave his racing thoughts behind him.

* * *

The cafe is completely empty, five minutes after closing, and still Haru can’t bring himself to leave.

He knows the second he gets home he’ll have to explain himself to Makoto, and he’s just not ready to do that.  Or rather, he knows the second he gets home Makoto will send him one of his concerned ‘we don’t have to talk about it, but I hope you’re okay, you know you can talk to me about anything’ looks, and that might be almost worse.  

So he continues to sit alone, having long since sent Momo, Nagisa, and Ai home.  They’d all spent the whole day shooting him concerned glances, but even Nagisa’s best attempts at cheering him up had garnered nothing more than a one word response.

He’s beginning to consider simply remaining where he is all night, when the door is pushed slowly open.  Haru keeps his eyes focused resolutely on the countertop, anticipating Makoto’s soft, worried voice.

What he hears instead causes him to nearly jump out of his skin.

“Hey, Haru,” comes the tired voice of Sousuke Yamazaki.

At first, Haru manages to convince himself that if he just keeps staring at the same small section of the counter, Sousuke might just give up and leave. This proves fruitless, as it only encourages the other man to take a tentative step closer.

Haru sighs, and reluctantly lifts his gaze.  Sousuke stands awkwardly in front of him, his good hand tugging anxiously at his sling.

“Look-” he begins, in a shaky tone.

“It’s fine,” Haru interrupts with a shrug.  He doesn't want to be having this conversation.  He doesn't _know_ how to have this conversation.  

“No… It- it’s not,” Sousuke admits, voice scratchy.  “Rin’s said something like that to me before too.”

Haru makes a vaguely noncommittal sound, turning his gaze back to the counter.

“Shit… I’m really fucking bad at this....”  Sousuke grinds his teeth together in frustration.  “I apologized to Rin.”

Drawing in a soft breath, Haru shrugs again.  “Oh.”

“And maybe I should apologize to you too… I didn’t mean to worry you… or whatever.”

A beat passes.  Sousuke continues to fidget in a way that makes him seem less like an intimidating, perpetually scowling police officer, and more like a guilty puppy.

“So… yeah.  I’ll just… go.  I only came to tell you I wasn’t mad,” he says, once it becomes clear Haru doesn’t intend to respond.  He takes a few steps back, his hand falling lamely to his side.  

“Wait,” Haru calls, in a soft voice.

Sousuke freezes, his gaze flicking curiously back to him.

If only Haru knew what to tell him in response.  He has no idea how to articulate his thoughts, or how to explain his outburst from this morning to even himself.  

So instead of apologizing or offering some sort of explanation, he crouches to reach into the display case, pulling out a single slice of pecan pie.  Slowly, he slides it across the counter, before reluctantly glancing up to meet Sousuke’s eyes.

“Haven’t I told you I’m going to die of heart disease if I keep eating your desserts?” Sousuke mumbles, his eyebrows raising with disbelief.

Haru allows himself a small smile, and nudges it closer.

“Your shoulder won’t get better if you don’t eat.”

Choking on an incredulous laugh, Sousuke accepts the offered fork, a little clumsy when using his left hand.  It’s only a small peace offering, but they’ll both take it for now.

“Fair enough,” he says, and takes a bite.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haru cares about Sousuke a lot but isn't good at dealing with emotion, and Sousuke is insecure and needs to take better care of himself. Poor kids. At least they have such good friends.
> 
> Thanks again for all the amazing support. It really keeps me wanting to write, even when this chapter was giving me all kinds of trouble.
> 
> As always, feel free to message me at my blog at hopenobodyeverfindsthis.tumblr.com
> 
> Any feedback is always appreciated! Thanks so much! There's probably 3 chapters left, so we're on the home stretch.
> 
> Next chapter: Rin invites his friends over for dinner and it doesn't end well.


	6. Chapter 6

“Woah!” Momo shrieks, staring starry-eyed at Sousuke’s new brace.  “That’s so cool!”

“Give him some space,” Ai chastises, sending Sousuke an apologetic look.

Sousuke rolls his eyes, and brushes Momo away with his good arm.  He’s recently graduated from his old sling to a more mobile brace.  In a few weeks, he’ll be healthy enough to return to his job full time, but for now, he spends large portions of his injury-inflicted free time at Waterfall Cafe, being bombarded by a very enthusiastic waiter.

“It’s not that exciting, Momo,” he grumbles, taking a sip of his coffee.  

“Can I sign it?”

“Momo, it’s not a cast,” Ai says in disdain, grabbing the younger boy by the arm to pull him back.

Sousuke snorts at them, shaking his head.  “Maybe if I break my leg next time, Momo.”

“Okay!” Momo replies enthusiastically, completely missing the sarcasm in the officer’s voice.

Ai rolls his eyes, grabbing Momo by the crook of the arm.  “Come help me with pastries, Momo-kun,” he sighs.

“Ahhh… but-”

He’s ignored, as Ai is completely used to his obnoxiousness, and simply tugs him off toward the kitchen.

Haru walks past them with a small sigh, a fresh helping of stir fry in his hands, before setting it in front of Sousuke.  

Things between them have been strange for the past few weeks, even if neither of them would care to admit it.  It’s gotten to the point that even Momo might catch on soon, and Haru does not need that.  

However, he has no idea how to make everything go back to the way it was.

“Thanks, Haru,” Sousuke says softly, scooping a single bite into his mouth.  “It’s good.”

Haru hums in response, maintaining his emotionless expression.

The door swings open behind them before Sousuke can start to grow too uncomfortable with Haru's dull stare.  Makoto steps inside, his hair tousled from the wind.

Quirking an eyebrow, Haru glances curiously towards him.  It’s rare for Makoto to have time to stop by the cafe, considering he’s usually chasing a stray cat or babysitting for their neighbor on the rare occassion he’s not working.

“Haru!  You forgot your phone,” Makoto explains, without waiting for his friend to ask.  Smiling, he pulls it from his pocket.  

“Oh,” Haru replies with a shrug, walking up to take it for himself.  Honestly, he hadn’t even noticed, as he rarely pays it much attention anyway.

“You need to remember it,” Makoto lectures.  “What if someone needs you?”

“They’ll get ahold of me somehow.”

That’s met with an amused eye roll.  “Just try to remember your phone…” Shaking his head, Makoto slumps into a seat at the table beside Sousuke’s, eyeing Haru expectantly.

“Are you expecting treats?” Haru asks, with a raised eyebrow

In response, Makoto sends him a wide grin, his eyes widening imploringly.  “If you have any left over…”

Saying no to Makoto’s pleading puppy-dog face is all but impossible, so Haru dutifully heads over to grab him a piece of his favorite chocolate cake.  Only upon returning does he notice the sudden change in Sousuke’s demeanor; his back now hunched and eyes staring darkly at the table.

“Are you feeling better, Yamazaki-kun?” Makoto is asking as Haru hands him the cake.  “Rin says you’ve been doing okay.”

Sousuke makes a low sound.  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he replies roughly, without even looking up at the other man.

Haru frowns.  It’s no secret that Sousuke isn’t exactly the best at interacting with people he doesn’t know well.  But there’s always been something strange about the way he’s treated Makoto, and Haru’s been noticing it more and more recently.  

He doesn’t like it at all.

“Hey!”  

Haru’s thoughts are interrupted by a loud voice coming from the entrance, and he flinches, wrinkling his nose.  Great, even more noise, the voice in his head deadpans.  Nevertheless, he can't will his friends away, so he turns around to nod at where Rin is standing before him with a wide grin on his face.

“Thought I'd stop by for a moment,” Rin explains, brushing the stray hairs from his eyes.

“Hi, Rin!” Makoto calls, offering a friendly smile.  “I thought you had to work all day today.”

With an exaggerated yawn, Rin waves an arm in front of his face.  “I just took a short break to check in.  And to get some coffee.  I’m exhausted.”

He makes a show of dusting his uniform off, before waving for coffee. “Momo! Ai!”  Haru rolls his eyes as Ai races back out with amazing speed, a coffee pot clutched in his hands.

“Here… um, Rin!”

Rin accepts the mug from him gratefully, and downs the beverage in one long gulp, despite that it is no doubt scalding.  Haru could care less about whether or not Rin burns himself, but the others all look mildly horrified.

“Rin!” Makoto cries, just as Sousuke sends him a disbelieving look.

“You’re going to burn your throat out, moron,” he grumbles, shaking his head.

“Don’t lecture me on personal safety,” Rin counters, as he slams the coffee mug down, gesturing for Ai to refill it.  “Are you eating well? Didn’t you remember what the doctor said? You have to take care of yourself.”

“He is,” Haru answers for him.  “Lots of vegetables.”

“Thank you, Haru,” Rin replies, nodding in his friend’s directions.  “Because _some idiots_ always seem to forget to take care of themselves.”

“It was only one meal,” Sousuke grumbles in his defense, but it’s said on deaf ears.

Haru side-eyes his own best friend, crossing his arms across his chest.  “I know the feeling.”

“Haru, don’t be mean,” Makoto sighs.

Rin chuckles, tossing head back.  “It’s okay, Mako.  We all know Haru couldn’t function properly without you.”

He receives a glare from Haru for that dig, but Rin’s not paying him any attention now.  Smirking, he slides into the chair beside Makoto, fumbling with his hands.  Haru hovers behind them, vaguely curious.

“Hey, so I bought a bunch of extra food the other day since I thought Gou and my mom were stopping by this Saturday, but they had to reschedule.  I was wondering, do you want to come over and I’ll cook for you?” he asks, biting his lip, cheeks turning slightly pink.

Makoto blinks at him, and then smiles, nodding eagerly.  

“Sure!  It’s too bad we can’t see Gou, but that sounds fun!  What time should we get there?”

The word ‘we’ hangs in the air, and Haru barely resists the urge to facepalm.  As if Rin could be any less subtle.  Sousuke looks vaguely frustrated as well, but Haru can’t be sure if it’s for the same reason that he is.

Predictably, Rin’s expression falls with disappointment, but he seems to recover before Makoto can catch on.  

“Right!  Great!  Sounds good,” he says, voice only a little strained.  “You and Haru can come whenever.  And Sousuke will be there too, of course!  Have to make sure he keeps eating...”

Sousuke’s head whips up curiously, a hard look on his face, but Rin doesn’t even glance in his direction.

Instead, he rapidly finishes his second mug of coffee, and pushes himself back to his feet.

“I better get back to work, but I’ll see you guys later,” he calls, without waiting for a response. He waves over his head as he races out the door.

Makoto watches him go, brows furrowing with confusion.  “Do you think Rin’s doing okay, Haru?” he asks, mouth falling open.

Sousuke makes a disparaging sound over his meal, while Haru lets out a little breath of air.

It would be too much effort to try to explain, so he only shrugs, and leaves Makoto to finish his cake.

* * *

They arrive at Rin’s place late Saturday night, after Haru's shut down the cafe.  He drags his feet the whole walk there.  For some reason, he finds himself dreading the experience, and not just because he’s going to have to spend the entire night watching his friends make disgustingly besotted faces at each other.  

Sousuke is already splayed out across the couch when they arrive, looking like he’s spent all day there, and doesn’t make any effort to greet them.

“Yo,” Rin calls from the kitchen, sticking his head out.  His hair is tied back in a messy ponytail, and there’s a dash of flour across his nose.  “Dinner will be done soon.”

“Do you need help?”

“Ah, no, Makoto, it’s okay-” Rin tries, but Makoto follows him into the kitchen anyway, babbling off about how he’s gotten much better at cooking lately.  

Haru snorts. He’s not about to go deal with babysitting Makoto in the kitchen, so he lets himself fall down into an armchair at Sousuke’s side.

“How’s your shoulder?” he asks, after a few minutes of sitting in silence.  Even for them, it seems too quiet.

Sousuke spares him a single sidelong glance.  “Better,” he says, and then is silent again.

Furrowing his brows, Haru stares down at his lap.  There is definitely something going on here, and he doesn’t know what it is.  Even if things have been somewhat tense these past few weeks, Sousuke had always been putting in the effort to be friendly.  Now, it’s almost like he’s completely shut himself off from everyone.

Dinner is ready within twenty minutes; plates full of Makoto’s favorite foods. Not much of a surprise there.  Rin’s not a terrible cook, at least, and his eyes sparkle smugly as Makoto digs into the meal with a delighted expression on his face

Neither of them seem to notice anything wrong, but that’s no shock; considering that they seem to be focused entirely on each other.

Haru definitely notices; it's impossible for him not to.  Sousuke sits with his back hunched, barely eating or offering a word to the conversation.  His attitude is beginning to set Haru's teeth on edge.

And it’s not just that Sousuke is unnaturally silent, it’s the harsh look on his face that seems to be directed almost exclusively toward Makoto.  No, Haru hadn’t been imagining it before.  There’s definitely something going on, and he’s beginning to think he knows what it is.  

“Oh, and then Mittens got this cute little look on his face.  I mean, I know he’s not supposed to sleep in my bed all the time, but he’s so sweet,” Makoto is saying, as Rin listens with a slightly dreamy look on his face- Somehow, Haru doubts he’s actually hearing anything.  

“Oh, right,” Makoto starts, looking between Haru and Sousuke, as if just remembering their presence.  Blushing sheepishly, he tries to make some attempt at including them in the conversation.  “Mittens is doing very well, Sousuke-kun."

“ _Great_ ,” Sousuke huffs in a dry voice, without looking up.

Haru feels his eyes twitch at the thinly veiled animosity there.  He shoots Sousuke a warning expression.  Rin doesn’t seem to notice anything wrong, but he’s too busy gazing dopily at the man beside him. _Completely useless_.

Makoto’s words waver a little, but he continues speaking as if everything were fine.  “I’m really glad you brought him to us.  He was a little wary at first, but now he’s so funny, and adorable.  You should come over and meet him again.”

Shrugging, Sousuke only glares at his plate, his face screwing up.  “No thanks,” he bites out coldly.

Even Rin glances curiously at Sousuke at this point, and Makoto’s friendly expression starts to falter.  It’s only going to escalate from here, and it’s making Haru’s blood boil.  

“Yamazaki,” he says, in a dark voice.  His use of Sousuke’s surname is not lost on anyone, and sucks any lingering comfort out of the room.  Ignoring Makoto and Rin’s confused looks, Haru pushes himself to his feet.  “I forgot to tell you something.”

It’s a terrible excuse, but he’s too vexed to bother with thinking up a better one. Sousuke could easily ignore him, and then Haru doesn't know what he would do.

Luckily, the other man’s eyes narrow and he stands up to follow, an unreadable expression on his face.

Haru takes a deep breath, before leading Sousuke toward the door.  He can feel Makoto’s eyes on the back of his neck, though he doesn’t pay him any attention.

Once they’re safely outside, Haru shuts the door behind him, and straightens himself to full height.

“What do you want?” Sousuke asks, not loudly, but with an edge to his voice.

“What’s your problem, Yamazaki?” Haru hisses quietly.  

“What do mean?” Sousuke counters, sounding tired.

“Makoto didn’t do _anything_ to you.”

Swallowing, Sousuke shoves his hands into his pockets.  “Just drop it, Haru.”

But Haru’s not about to just let this go.  No one is allowed to treat Makoto badly. _No one._

It makes sense now.  He should have seen it coming a while ago.  But just because Sousuke has feelings for Rin, that’s no excuse.  In fact, it's the anthesis of an excuse.

“It’s not Makoto’s fault,” Haru says cryptically.  Sousuke’s not stupid.  He should get the message.  “So leave him alone.”

“Y-you don’t care at all?” Sousuke counters, voice heavy with disbelief.

“Why would I?” Haru mumbles, mouth falling open in momentary confusion.  

Sousuke releases a little sound, somewhere between exasperation and exhaustion.  “Nevermind.  You never make any sense, Haru,” he grumbles, bitterness seeping into his words.  He doesn’t sound the least bit apologetic, only cynical, and a little defensive.

“I didn’t think you were like this,” Haru says emotionlessly, before turning away, clenching his hands into fists.  

He hears Sousuke groan in frustration behind him, but by the time he glances back over his shoulder, the other man is gone.

* * *

“Haru…” comes Makoto’s soft voice.  Haru inhales into his pillow.  He knew it was coming, but he’s still not ready for the conversation.  

“Hey,” Makoto calls again, standing in the entrance of his friend’s bedroom.

At first, Haru hopes that if he just holds his breath Makoto might mistake him for sleeping, but his best friend knows him too well.  He feels the bed sink with Makoto’s weight as settles down beside him, fidgeting quietly.  They sit without speaking for a few minutes, long enough for Mittens to wander in from the living room and make a nest by Haru’s head.

“Haru… are you okay?” Makoto asks finally, once he can no longer stand the silence.

Haru emits a noncommittal grunt in response, further tugging the blanket around his shoulders.

“I don’t know what happened back there,” Makoto begins, setting a hand on Haru’s back.  “But you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Don’t be stupid, Makoto."

“You didn’t have to leave, like that, you know?” Makoto continues.  “Rin got worried.”

“You did too.” Is Haru’s short reply, and Makoto laughs softly in response.

He shifts further up the bed, running a hand along Haru’s back.  “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“No.”

“Alright,” Makoto concedes, but he makes no effort to leave.  They sit together for some time with only Haru's uneven breathing to break the silence.

“Makoto,” Haru whispers, twisting his head around to look at his best friend.

“Yes?”

“What do you think of Yamazaki?”

There’s a pause, while Makoto contemplates his answer.  “He seems like a good person.”

Haru actually lifts his head from his pillow to shoot him an incredulous look.

“What-?” Makoto counters.  “You like him a lot, and I trust your judgment.  And he’s Rin’s best friend. That can’t mean nothing.”

“You’re too nice,” Haru huffs dryly, hiding his face.  “And I _don’t_ like him.”

“I can stick up for myself, Haru-chan.”

Haru rolls his eyes, both at the nickname, and Makoto’s reminder.  “I know.”

“You should try to talk to Yamazaki-kun about this.  I think there might have been a… misunderstanding,” Makoto tries, cocking his head to the side.  “He seemed like a really good friend to you, Haru.”

Classic Makoto; always assuming the best of everyone.  It’s a trait that Haru both hates and loves about him, but he himself has never been quite so naive.  

“I want to go sleep…” he mumbles, in favor of answering.  

Sighing, Makoto stands up, his arms hanging lamely at his sides.

“I’m sorry about this, Haru.”

“Don’t act like it’s you fault.”

Makoto opens his mouth, but then closes it, shaking his head.  

“Good night.  I'll be here if you need anything."  Mittens hops down to follow him, and Haru is left alone.

He rolls onto his side, and stares miserably at the wall, trying to quiet his racing thoughts.

He won't talk to Sousuke if he won’t treat Makoto like a person.  His friend’s happiness has always been his number one priority.

‘Maybe there was a misunderstanding’ Makoto had said.  

Haru draws his knees to his chest, trying to shut out the sound of his best friend's voice in his head.

‘He seems like a good person.’  And Haru had thoughts so too.

But no, If Sousuke really were a good person, he’d be supportive of Rin  _even if_ … even if he had feelings for him.  A good person wouldn’t act like a jerk out of petty jealousy.  

Haru curls his lip bitterly, and turns to hide his face in his pillow.

No matter how much he hates to admit it, even to himself, there’s something more too; more than just protectiveness for his best friend.  The thought of Sousuke being in love with Rin hurts.  The idea of not being friends with Sousuke any longer hurts even more.  

Haru’s hardly known Sousuke for half a year, and yet this is enough to leave him; someone who prides himself on his indifference to nearly everything, feeling both betrayed and strangely empty inside.

He lays in bed all night, but never manages a wink of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, gosh, I don't know if I like this chapter. I'm posting it, but I'm a little worried. Too much angst. When will they start to communicate like adults ahhh?
> 
> Again, I've been blown away by all the support I've gotten. I can't thank people enough, it makes this story so much fun to write.
> 
> Message me on tumblr at hopenobodyeverfindsthis.tumblr.com
> 
> Tell me what you thought. Hopefully this was okay.
> 
> Next chapter: Haru and Sousuke aren't speaking... but it can only get better from here.


	7. Chapter 7

Time passes slowly.  On the surface, things are normal.  Haru opens the cafe at the same time every morning and spends hours on end in the kitchen. The quality of his food never suffers.  He leaves at the same time every day and sneaks away to feed the cats.

But it doesn’t take a genius to know he’s not quite himself.  Even Momo catches on, his usual enthusiasm significantly stunted by the dark cloud hanging over his boss.

Sousuke only stops by again once, two nights after the dinner incident.  Haru stays stubbornly hidden in the kitchen, and Nagisa makes up some excuse of them being ‘too busy’ for anyone to come speak to him.  Sousuke just grunts and leaves without buying anything, entirely ignoring Momo’s happy tittering.  He doesn’t return.  

Haru tries to tell himself he’s happy about it, but it leaves a heavy pit in his stomach.

“Haru-chan,” Nagisa mumbles, slinking back to the kitchen after Sousuke has left.  “You can’t just never talk to him again.”

Haru shakes his head without looking up.

“I know you really liked him.  And he seemed really upset.”

Huffing, Haru grits his teeth.  ‘He should be,’ he thinks.  But he’s not about to involve himself in that business anymore.

“At least tell me what happened,” Nagisa tries, reaching out to touch his friend’s shoulder.  “It will make you feel better…”

“Nagisa. Not now,” Haru says, sounding tired.

Nagisa’s face falls, but he turns away, shoulders slumping.  For a moment, Haru's sure he'll continue to bother him as he usually would, but then his voice comes softly.  “I’m here if you need me, Haru-chan.”

“I know,” Haru sighs, shaking his head.  He spares Nagisa a tired smile.  “Thank you.”

* * *

Rin comes by a few days later, shifting anxiously from foot-to-foot.  Haru isn't sure what to expect from him.  He's ignored his phone since Saturday, and therefore also any messages his friend has presumably sent him.

Unlike Sousuke, Rin doesn't bother to even ask permission to go into the kitchen, and just blows by Momo and Ai, his hands shoved in his pockets.

“Hey, Haru.”

“What do you want?” Haru mumbles in disinterest, cutting to the chase as per usual.

Rin actually laughs at this, dry and humorless.  “I wanted… _shit_ , I wanted to apologize… or whatever.  I have no idea what happened the other night, and both Sousuke and Makoto were being cryptic as fuck, but since you weren’t returning my messages…”

The corner of Haru’s lip quirks downward at that.  “I’ve been busy.”

“Bullshit.  You haven’t done anything but go to work all week.  Makoto is worried.  And Sousuke is even more broody than usual.  It’s giving me a headache.  Could you just please explain to me what the hell happened so that things can go back to normal?  I don’t have time to deal with all of this melodramatic crap.”

That’s rich coming from Rin, considering he’s the biggest drama queen Haru has ever met, but he refrains from voicing that thought aloud.  “There’s nothing wrong.”

Rin lets out an exhausted groan.  “You and I both know that’s a total lie. I’m not an idiot, Haru.  Sousuke has hardly spoken to me since.  And I thought it was weird that you guys ended up friends, but this-” he draws in an exasperated breath, waving his hands around, “-this is just infuriating.”

Rolling his eyes, Haru only grunts softly, and flips the omelet he’d been working on.

“Could you just try to talk to him or something?  I’m not sure I can take another day of him sulking around the office.  I don’t know what happened, but Sousuke usually means well.  I mean, I know he kind of has a scary resting face that makes him look like he hates all of humanity, but it’s a lie.  He’s really a total loser.”

Haru stares at his hands, feeling his lower lip beginning to tremble with emotion.  He suppresses it, though, and when he replies, his voice is just as dull as it was before.  

“Too much effort.”

“Oh my god, Haru!” Rin groans, tugging on his ponytail.  “Well, Makoto’s freaking out because he’s worried about you. You don’t want Makoto upset, do you?”

Sighing, Haru finally glances at his friend.  “Rin, I have to work,” he says, in a tone that says this conversation is over.

Rin can be incredibly stubborn when he wants to be, but he must sense the fruitlessness of his pestering, because he only scowls in response.  “You guys are going to lead me to an early grave,” he grumbles, shaking his head.  “Fine.  I’ll leave you alone.  But you’re not going to be able to keep this up forever, Haru.”

Haru side-eyes him as he leaves, grumbling under his breath in frustration.  He knows on some level Rin is right.  Their town is tiny, and unless Sousuke moves away, he can’t just avoid him indefinitely.  But that doesn’t mean he’s going to just forgive him for being an asshole to his sweetheart of a best friend.  

Also, he figures if he avoids him long enough, the inexplicable pit in his stomach will start to fade.

He hopes.

* * *

Weeks go by, and nothing changes.  Makoto continues to send Haru concerned glances when he thinks he can’t be seen.  Sousuke never comes by the cafe once in this time.  Haru assumes his shoulder must have healed, and he went back to work, which is good for both of them.  He tells himself he isn’t worried about it at all.  

He tries to keep busy, and focus on his other friends, without any unnecessary distractions.  In general, he’s not miserable.

Though, if he's honest with himself, he feels more lonely than he has in years.

Aside from the first few days, Momo and Ai have refrained from acknowledging Haru’s ill mood or Sousuke’s absence at all.  It’s nice of them, considering Nagisa still brings it up offhandedly whenever he can.  Although Nagisa means well, it’s become something of a headache.  Therefore, it’s a bit of a relief to Haru that he’s off tonight.

It had been storming outside earlier, so the cafe is blessedly empty.  There’s the faint sound of sirens in the distance, but Haru doesn’t think much of it as he sorts through the baked goods.  Momo has spent the last half hour showing Ai a game on his phone, giggling ecstatically, and neither of them seem to be paying him any attention.   

Haru is surprised, then, when he looks up to find that Momotarou has abandoned the game to lean up against the counter, watching him intently.  "Momo...?" he mutters flatly, sparing him a glance.  He's expecting some complaining maybe, or a request to go home early, but not what actually comes out of the boy’s mouth.

“Hey, Haru,” Momo begins, playing with his fingers.  “Do you know why Sousuke-san stopped coming here?”

This receives a horrified look from Ai, as the other waiter comes bounding from the empty table.  “Momo-kun! I told you, you can’t-”

“It’s just a question,” Momo mumbles, turning to Ai with genuine curiosity.  “And I miss Sousuke-san.  You do too, right?”

Ai blushes, sending Haru an apologetic glance.   “You can’t just-”

“But if we don’t figure out what’s wrong, how will we get him to start coming back?” Momo asks, his lip jutting out.  “I mean… it’s not like he _has_ to but-” he wavers, face falling into a pout.

Haru's heart sinks.  Although Momo may be obnoxious and unable to tell when to mind his own business, he still feels a little guilty.  The kid hasn’t done anything wrong, after all, and doesn’t really mean anything by this.

He shakes his head with a sigh.  “I don't know, Momo,” he lies, frowning.

Ai staggers forward, gripping to the younger boy’s arm.  “It’s okay.  I’m sure Yamazaki-kun is just busy.  Plus, he always complained that he was eating too many desserts so maybe he went on a diet.”

“Why would he go on a diet?” Momo asks, sounding honestly bewildered.

Ai barely resists the urge to face-palm.  “Just come show me that bug catching game again!  It was cool.”

Momo perks up at this, eyes widening with delight.  “Really?  Here, there’s a stag beetle level, maybe you can beat my highscore!”

Letting out a soft breath of relief, Haru goes back to storing the pastries for the night.  Outside, the sirens still haven’t let up.

He can probably let Momo and Ai both go home anyway, as they’re set to close in only an hour, and he doubts many people will be coming by this late.  

But then the door is thrown roughly open, and a frazzled Nagisa stumbles inside.

“Haru-chan!” he shouts.  His hair is a mess, and his shoes are sopping wet, looking like he’s just run all the way here.  He draws in a staggered breath, as Haru stares at him in mild concern.  “I-I tried to call you twice!  There’s a big fire at the library.  It’s really bad,” he says rapidly.

Haru’s eyes widen.  Their town is small enough that they rarely get one major fire a year.  For the most part, Makoto’s duties are saving cats from trees, and going out to check on false alarms.  Maybe he’ll be called out to another town if there’s something serious, but he hardly ever has to risk his own life.

He inhales sharply.  “Ai, Momo.  Watch the shop,” he says, before taking off out the door.  Even the air outside the cafe smells like smoke, and his stomach sinks.

“Haru-chan, don’t just run off!” Nagisa calls, heaving as he tries to keep up with him.  Haru shakes his head, following the blaring noise of the sirens in the distance.  

The library is completely engulfed in flames, fire shooting from the windows.  A crowd of people has formed outside; various citizens anxious for the safety of their neighbors.  A few nod at Haru in recognition, sending him concerned looks.

Nagisa is lost in the small mob of people, but Haru hardly notices.  He pushes his way to the front, scanning the area for one firefighter in particular.

“Everyone, I’m going to have to ask you to stay back behind the road,” comes a booming voice, and Haru glances over to see Sousuke standing in front of him, his back to the fire.  “We’re doing our best to keep people safe.”

Considering the fact that Haru has been doing all he can to avoid him over the last few weeks, it’s surprisingly reassuring to find Sousuke there.  Their eyes meet for the first time in weeks, but Haru doesn’t look away, only gives a subtle nod and stumbles through the crowd to approach him.

“What’s going on?” Haru asks, voice just a little desperate.  He probably shouldn’t be keeping Sousuke from his job, but the officer stops for him, a strained expression on his face.

“Lightning fire.  Pretty serious, too.”

“Is everyone out of the building?”

He can ascertain the answer from the other’s face, even before Sousuke manages to respond.  “Still one firefighter and a civilian inside.  And the structure is growing unstable.”

It almost doesn’t have to be said who the firefighter is.  Maybe Haru knew as soon as Nagisa alerted him to the fire.

“Makoto,” he whispers, hugging his sides.  He cranes his neck to see the building.  There’s a crowd of emergency workers, and an ambulance on hand, as the firefighters race by with their hoses.  Haru can make out Rin standing among the mess of people, face turned toward the building.

Sousuke nods gravely, and tentatively places a hand on Haru’s shoulder.  Usually, Haru would resent most forms of physical contact, but now he finds it strangely grounding.

Haru swallows, digging his fingers into his palms. The flames only seem to be growing, and there’s no sign of his best friend.

The emergency workers are shouting orders at each other.  Haru can’t quite make out what they’re saying with the cacophony of different noises, but he hears bits and pieces.

“Still inside-”

“Might collapse-”

“No contact-”

He grits his teeth, his entire body beginning to shake.  Haru had never really been enthused about Makoto’s chosen career path, knowing that his best friend is almost stupidly selfless, but he’d always supposed nothing would happen.  Not in their quiet little town.  He'd been wrong.

An agonizing few minutes follow, where Haru can do nothing but helplessly watch the building, holding his breath.

But then there’s a figure, staggering out the front door, half-carrying a woman.  Haru recognizes him instantly, bulky gear and all.

White hot relief shoots through his veins as he watches Makoto assist the women to the ambulance, before pulling off his helmet.  From this distance, he looks unharmed, and Haru’s knees almost buckle as he finally allows himself to breathe again, staring unblinking at the ground.  

“You moron!”

Haru's head snaps back up, to where Rin has decided to sprint across the parking lot towards Makoto, receiving a lot of weird looks in the process.  He either doesn’t notice, or doesn’t care, because he wastes no time before launching himself at Makoto’s chest, kissing him square on the mouth.

Someone behind Haru gasps, and he could swear he hears the housewife beside him sigh dreamily.  He rolls his eyes at Rin’s shamelessness, but he’s still too overcome with relief to judge him too much.

Finally starting to regain his bearings, he glances at Sousuke out of the corner of his eyes.  Haru’s not sure what he’s expecting the other’s reaction to be, but it’s certainly not the concerned frown he’s greeted with.

“I’m sorry,” Sousuke says aloud, tugging on the sleeve of his uniform.

Haru furrows his brows in confusion.  “What?” he mumbles, as he tries to comprehend the uneasy look the other is giving him.  It makes very little sense.  Does Sousuke really think now is an appropriate time to apologize for what happened a month ago?

Sousuke, though, seems bewildered by Haru’s reaction as well, turning his gaze back to where Rin has now begun crying into Makoto’s uniform.

“Aren’t you and Tachibana-?” he starts, a little breathless.

Haru stares at him for a few more seconds, before it slowly clicks into place in his mind.  His mouth falls open with realization.

Before he can even try to answer, a single hiccup escapes his throat, and he proceeds to break into a fit of laughter, his shoulder’s shaking as he tries and fails to suppress it.

Sousuke’s eyes widen to the size of golf balls.  “Hey, what the-?”

Maybe it’s the lingering hysteria from the stress of minutes before catching up with him, but Haru can’t bring himself to stop laughing, which is odd, considering he is not one to laugh much in the first place; much less in front of a burning building.

“Haru-” Sousuke tries, brows furrowing.  “I’m sorry, are you-?”

“We’re not,” Haru chokes out between strangled breaths.  It all makes sense now, and if he were in his normal state of mind, he probably wouldn’t find this whole thing quite so amusing.  Yet, for some reason, the level of this misunderstanding, as well as the idea that Makoto would have the heart to cheat on anyone, are just too ridiculous for him to get over.

For a moment, Sousuke seems to resemble something like a dying fish, mouth hanging open as he gapes at Haru.  “I asked.  They said you’ve been together forever,” he mumbles, averting his eyes.

Gasping on a few deep breaths, Haru nods his head, finally managing to hold back the laughter.  “We have.  But not like that.”

That's met with silence, as Sousuke blinks at him, hopelessly perplexed.   “Oh…” he sighs finally, before lifting a hand to drag down his face.  “That explains a lot.”

Haru snorts, wiping at his eyes with the back of his wrist.

“I take it you’re not into Rin…” he mumbles, low enough that he almost hopes the other can’t hear.

Sousuke makes a strangled choking sound, before letting out an incredulous bark of laughter.  

“No…” he mumbles, shaking his head. “No.  He’s my best friend, but I-” He cuts off, gazing down at Haru with a dazed expression.

“I guess I’ll have to apologize to Tachibana,” he says softly, scratching the back of his neck.

Shrugging, Haru takes a step closer.  “He’ll understand.”

Sousuke’s mouth breaks into a slightly dopey smile.  His cheeks have slowly turned a light pink, and Haru can feel his face heating up as well.  They stand there just staring at each other for a moment, no matter how inappropriate it may be to be doing so in front of a burning building.  Haru isn’t entirely sure what to do next, but he knows he doesn’t want to look away.

“Yamazaki!” Someone shouts, and Sousuke jerks, yanked back to reality.  “Need help over here,” the person calls, sounding exasperated, and Sousuke’s face turns a darker shade of red.

“Shit.  I better go.  I’ll see you later, Haru,” Sousuke says in a breathy voice, brushing his hair from his face.

Nodding, Haru watches Sousuke’s back disappear into the mob of firefighters and police officers surrounding the smoldering building.  At some point, Rin had returned to his job, and Haru can spot Makoto being checked out by a physician a few meters away.

“I can’t believe it had to come to this for you to talk to him,” a voice preens, and Haru flinches, upon noticing Nagisa now standing at his side.

Haru sticks his nose in the air, trying to hide his smile.  “I was just worried about Makoto.”

“Uh huh.”

Crossing his arms across his chest, Haru begins pushing his way back through the crowd.  The fire has slowly gone out, now just a smoldering mess that the firefighters are working to clean up.  Seeing as no one has been seriously hurt, the neighbors are all starting to scatter back to their homes as well.  Haru follows them, Nagisa trailing behind him.

“You seem pretty happy, considering the library is probably destroyed,” Nagisa observes, mouth lifting up mischievously.

Haru spares him a sidelong glance.  “Do I?”

Snickering, Nagisa ducks his head in response, a smug grin on his face.  “I won’t say I told you so but-”

“Nagisa,” Haru interrupts, wrinkling his nose.

“Yes, Haru-chan?”

“Shut up.”

“ _Rude_!”

* * *

If Haru had wondered when Sousuke would make his appearance again, he doesn’t have to wait long.

The cafe hasn’t even opened yet the next morning.  Momo and Ai have just dragged themselves in, milling around the dining area, while Haru is busy baking the pastries for the day.

There are few people in town ever up at this hour, which is why it’s so strange when he hears the sound of someone pounding on the front door.

Haru frowns in confusion, pressing his lips together.

From outside, he hears Ai make a surprised sound, before the door is roughly pulled open.

“Sousuke-san!” Momo squeals.  Haru’s breath catches, and he straightens his shoulders, no longer focused on the muffin mix he’d been stirring a moment before.

“Hey, Momo.  Is Haru here?”

Ai cuts in before Momo can answer.  “I-I think he’s busy, Yamazaki-san, but we’ll tell him you stopped by and-”

Haru steps out of the kitchen.  Instantly, Sousuke’s head jerks up and their gazes meet, both staring at each other uncertainly.

“Morning…”

Swallowing nervously, Sousuke makes his way around the tables, staring down at him through droopy eyes.

“Um… Momo-kun, I just remembered we have to do something outside.”

“What? Why would we have to-?”

Whatever else Momotarou was about to say in muffled by Ai pulling him none-too-subtly out the door. Haru’s not paying them any attention anyway.

“Hey,” Haru says aloud, voice barely above a whisper, forehead creasing with an unsaid question.

Sousuke draws in a breath like he’s going to say something, but then clamps his mouth shut, fumbling with his hands.  Finally, he just lets out a frustrated puff of air, before reaching out and tugging Haru toward him by the lapels.

Gasping softly, Haru cranes his neck, not at all upset by the proximity.  “Something wrong?” he asks, feeling his mouth go dry.

“Sorry,” Sousuke mumbles.  “I'm not good at this. But I can’t wait any longer.”  Eyes slipping shut, he leans forward, and Haru stands on his tiptoes to meet him halfway.

Their lips slide together clumsily, as Haru’s arms come up to wrap around Sousuke’s neck.  He lets out a quiet breath against the other’s mouth, his heart thundering in his ears.  Haru feels warm all over, but it's not unpleasant.  He presses closer, until their foreheads knock against each other.

Sousuke pulls back after a minute, his cheeks tinged pink.  He licks his lips, half-lidded eyes wandering over Haru’s face.

“I-I have to get to work,” he mumbles finally, glancing away.  He proceeds to step back and walk out of the cafe like nothing had happened; nearly plowing down Momo, who’d been trying to get a picture for Nagisa with his face pressed to the door.

Haru leans against the counter, dazed.

“Um… Haru-san. Are you alright?” Ai tries, biting his tongue.

Haru nods, though his vision remains unfocused, and his ears are slowly turning red.

The muffins he’d left in the oven end up burnt to a crisp, but he can’t honestly say that he minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe. Oh dear, finally. I hope you liked this chapter. I was going to save that last part for the final chapter, but I thought, heh, it's my birthday, I can be self indulgent.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's sent me nice messages, this story has been a joy to write.
> 
> Message me on tumblr at hopenobodyeverfindsthis as always!
> 
> Next chapter: The End


	8. Chapter 8

Nagisa comes flying into the cafe just before noon, a massive smile on his face.  He doesn’t even try to act subtle about it as he practically skips up to Haru's side, eyes shining with excitement.

“So… Haru-chan…” he begins.  He blinks innocently, offering his his very best puppy dog face, but he’s already been too obvious for the charade to really work.

“So…” Haru mumbles back, feigning disinterest.

The fact that Nagisa already seems to know everything isn’t that surprising.  He has a way of having his nose in everyone's business, and Haru is already aware that both Momo and Ai know more then they’d like to admit, considering their jumpy behaviour.  It would have been _almost_ more surprising for one of them not to let Nagisa in on all the details.

Apparently unable to help himself, Nagisa begins to bounce, forgoing his innocent act altogether.  

“We should go on a double date!” he suggests, and then quickly corrects himself.  “-Or triple date with Mako-chan and Rin-chan too, of course.”

He’s spared only a slightly exasperated look.  “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Haru sighs, though his eyes betray his amusement.  

Nagisa giggles eagerly in reply.

“I told you to get his number, remember?  I knew it!”

“Seemed to have slipped my mind.”

“Haru-chan,” Nagisa whines, tugging on his friend’s arm.  “Don’t be like that. You guys are so cute!”

Haru doesn’t even glance at him this time.  He shakes his head, biting his lip between his teeth to stop himself from grinning.  “Go work, Nagisa.”

“Awww… Come on, Haru-chan!”

However, he relents after a few more seconds, as the pointed look he receives in response tells him he won’t be getting anymore gossip out of Haru; no matter how persistently he pesters him.  With a breathy sigh, he leaves his friend to himself, pouting as he sulks away.

Haru grins at his back fondly, before turning back to the kitchen.

* * *

Sousuke doesn’t come back to the cafe during business hours; whether because he’s busy or too embarrassed to show his face Haru can’t be sure.  He can’t really fault him for not wanting to deal with the barrage of energy and questions that Nagisa and Momo would inevitably throw at him, but Haru can’t say he’s not disappointed.  He’s still not entirely sure where they stand, and the anticipation of seeing Sousuke again builds slowly inside him all day.

He’s never quite experienced this before, and he can’t be totally certain whether the twisting feeling in his gut is excitement or anxiety.  Maybe a bit of both.

Despite his nerves, any apprehension Haru had seems to melt away when he finds Sousuke waiting on the street corner for him that night, just after he'd locked up the cafe.  His mouth lifts into an almost giddy smile.  

“Hello,” he says, because he can’t think of anything better to say.

Maybe it’s a play of the light, but Sousuke’s face seems to be rosy already.  He glances down nervously, fiddling with his hands.   

Honestly, Haru finds his fidgeting kind of cute, but wisely doesn’t voice that opinion out loud.  

“Hey,” Sousuke replies softly, and offers an almost shy smile.

“Hey,” Haru parrots, cocking his head playfully.  This seems to do nothing to ease Sousuke’s nerves, and his shoulders tense up even more.   

It’s ridiculous.  Sousuke is so awkward, and Haru can’t even remember why he was ever nervous about seeing him again.  He snorts involuntarily, eyes sparkling.

“Don’t laugh at me!” Sousuke grunts huffily, before taking off down the street.

Haru just follows without a word and falls into step beside him, maintaining a neutral expression.

“Look,” Sousuke begins, his voice wavering a little.  “I… uh...” He fumbles for words, but no more sound leaves his mouth, and he turns abruptly away.

Haru has to bite his tongue to stop himself from actually laughing this time.

“Hmm…?” he mumbles, and shifts so their knuckles brush together.   “What is it, _Sousuke_?”

“Are you mocking me?” Sousuke grumbles, eyes downcast.

Haru nudges him in the side, and carefully links their fingers.  He licks his lips, allowing himself another smile.  “Maybe.”

Sousuke lets out a low groan, ducking his head.  “You are the strangest, most difficult person I have ever met.”

“Wow, _thanks_ ,” Haru shoots back dryly, flicking his bangs from his face.  

That’s met with another frustrated grunt, as Sousuke runs his free hand down his face.   He grumbles something incoherent beneath his breath, but doesn’t manage to say anything else.  They’ve already made it almost all the way to Haru’s house, yet he doesn’t seem any closer to saying what he’d intended.

It's kind of hilarious, but Haru decides not to tease him anymore.  He waits patiently as they walk in silence, chancing glancing at Sousuke's face every few seconds.

Eventually, they come to a stop in front of Haru's house.  Neither is willing to let go of the other's hand, so they just stand there, drawing out the uneasy silence.  Haru is reticent to break it himself, so he just stares at Sousuke in anticipation, waiting for the other man to gain the nerve to speak up.

“Listen,” Sousuke says finally, words wavering only slightly.  

Haru takes a step closer, squeezing his hand.  Though Sousuke’s still not looking directly at his face, he seems a little less nervous now.  

“I like you...”

“I figured,” Haru replies in a dull voice.

“That’s all you’re going to say?” Sousuke bites back, indignant.

Haru raises an eyebrow.  He can feel a flush rising up his neck.  “Well…” he mumbles, biting his lip.  

Instead of getting offended at the other's indifference like Haru was half-expecting, Sousuke just snorts, dropping his shoulders with defeat.  Shaking his head, he lifts his free hand to touch Haru’s chin.  

“I guess we both suck at this,” he says quietly, stroking his thumb down his cheek.

The corner of Haru’s lips quirk up.  “I guess,” he agrees, leaning into the touch.  

Sousuke smiles fondly, his eyes softening.  He lets out a quiet laugh, and his chest vibrates with the force of it.  “I’m sorry for acting like an asshole.”

Haru shrugs, without taking his eyes off of Sousuke's.  

“You know,” Sousuke continues, glancing away.  “I... I think I liked you for a while.  There's something about you.  I didn't know why at the time but... but it wasn’t until you yelled at me after I injured my shoulder that I really…” he trails off, blinking down at Haru uncertainly.

Haru gazes up at him, feeling his stomach flip.  His heart pounds loudly in his ears.  He already knows what the unsaid words mean; what he wants to say in response.  He draws in a hitched breath-

-Only to be interrupted by the door behind them being pushed opened.

They jerk apart awkwardly, to find a shocked Makoto gaping at them in the entrance; a garbage bag clutched in his hands.

“Oh, sorry!” he squeaks, as he hastens to slam the door shut.

“Makoto,” Haru calls.  He steps forward to hold open the door with a hand, and reaches out to take the bag from his friend. “It’s okay.”

Makoto blushes, his eyes flicking between Sousuke and Haru nervously.  “I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s fine,” Sousuke interrupts.  He clears his throat awkwardly, before taking another step closer and bowing his head.  

“Tachibana…” he begins.  “I’m sorry about how I acted.  It was a misunderstanding, but it was my fault and I’m sorry you got wrapped up in it.”

Eyes widening, Makoto stares at Sousuke, surprised.  "Ah..." he mumbles, as his expression slowly shifts to his signature gentle smile. “You’re already forgiven.”

He offers the other man his hand, which Sousuke accepts gladly.

“Make sure Haru’s happy,” Makoto adds, in a soft voice.

Haru groans.  “ _Makoto_.”

But Sousuke just nods resolutely.  “Same goes for Rin.”

Makoto grins and pulls his hand away, sending Haru a slightly apologetic glance.  

“Right, well, goodnight, Yamazaki-kun.  I’m sure I’ll see you again soon,” Makoto calls.  He shuts the door behind himself, with a small wave.

Sighing, Haru twists around to face Sousuke again, a vaguely exasperated look on his face.  

“Tachibana is too nice for his own good,” Sousuke observes.

“That’s true,” Haru agrees, glancing down.  There’s another few seconds of awkward silence where neither of them move, before Sousuke reaches out for him again.

Haru melts into his chest, setting both hands on either of his shoulders.  He inhales nervously, his mouth hanging open.  He's always been a blunt, to- the-point, sort of person, and he figures he and Sousuke have wasted enough time avoiding and misunderstanding each other already.

“I love you too,” he says clearly, without a trace of doubt, and then cranes his neck to swallow Sousuke’s surprised gasp with a kiss.

* * *

It’s already dark outside, but every light is on inside Makoto and Haru’s house.  Sousuke is resting against the counter in the kitchen, watching Haru fry a full pan of fish.

Momo titters away happily outside, regaling the rest of the group with a tale of his latest mission to capture the rare golden beetle he’d been dreaming of his whole life.  From what Haru can gather, Nagisa sounds incredibly excited about it, and Makoto politely interested, but he’s not sure if any of their other friends really care.  Rin keeps trying to distract Momo or cut him off, but Momo carries on like he hadn't heard anything, and it's beginning to seem like a pointless venture at this point.

With the autumn leaves all but fallen and winter looming, Haru had decided to invite all their friends over for a nice meal to celebrate the coming end of the year.  He’d relegated Makoto to the task of entertaining everyone outside, so that he could stay safely away from any commotion.

“You said you were going to help,” Haru huffs, glancing up as Sousuke grins at him from across the kitchen.

“Well, you don’t seem to need much.” Sousuke slides down from his seat on the counter, and nearly trips over Mittens, who had run into the room in search of some refuge from the cacophony outside.  He hisses in annoyance, but is completely ignored, and takes off in search of some new corner to hide in.  

Haru snorts, flicking the spatula.  “If you’re not going to be helpful, you could wait outside like everyone else.”

“You get mad at me whenever I try!”

“Because you’re doing it wrong.”

Sousuke scowls, crossing his arms across his chest.  “Hey, I’m a good cook.”

“Debatable.”

“You let me cook for you before,” Sousuke grumbles, bumping their shoulders together.

Haru purses his lips.  “I’m still better.”

Chuckling, Sousuke bows to try to kiss the side of his face, but Haru elbows him away.  “Don't, or I'll make you leave.”

“Come on, Haru…”

“I’m cooking,” Haru mumbles, though there’s a grin on his face when Sousuke wraps both arms around his waist.  “Don’t distract me.”

“Between Momo and Nagisa, I’m pretty sure you have a lot of experience with distracted cooking.”

There’s not much Haru can say to argue with that.  The mackerel sizzles on the pan as he flips it, before he turns his head to meet Sousuke halfway, pressing their lips together lazily.

“Hey, can you guys- Seriously?”

Rin is glowering at them in the doorway, mouth dropping into a grimace.  “You two are gross.”

“Rin-chan, let Sou-chan and Haru-chan have their privacy!” Nagisa shouts loudly from the other room.  “You don’t want to see- mmmph...” Whatever else is was about to say is muffled by what sounds like someone’s hand on his mouth.  

“The food will be ready soon,” Haru tells Rin in his usual monotone.  If only to further annoy his friend, he doesn’t even bother to shove Sousuke away this time, and relaxes into his arms.  

Eyes narrowing, Rin turns away with an exaggerated groan.  “I still can’t believe this.”

“Like you’re any better,” Haru bites out.

Rin flashes him the finger as he makes his exit.  “Just hurry up with the food.  Momo is giving me a headache,” he hisses.

Rolling his eyes, Haru leans lazily against Sousuke’s arm.  “What a baby.”

Sousuke hums in agreement, resting his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder and hugging him closer.  

Frowning, Haru twists around to give him an odd look.

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing,” Sousuke corrects, as he runs his hands down Haru’s sides.

“You just seem kind of… clingy…” Haru says, with a shrug.

“Do you mind?”

“No,” Haru replies honestly, flicking his wrist to sprinkle some spices onto the fish.  “But it’s a little weird.”

Sousuke makes a soft sound.  “I guess I’m just happy,” he says quietly, breathing gently against Haru’s neck.

“And you call Rin a sap,” Haru murmurs in reply.  He turns to brush his nose against Sousuke’s cheek, a wide smile on his face.

“Hey, pay attention, or the food will burn!” Sousuke snorts, though he makes no move to pull back.

“Then stop distracting me.”

“Will you two just stop flirting and finish dinner,” Rin snaps from outside, and Haru lets out a breathless laugh in response.

Sousuke grins too, and promptly sweeps Haru into another kiss, backing him up against the counter.

The mackerel turns out slightly more charred than usual, but Haru ignores all of Rin's complaints.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, wow. I'm getting kind of emotional. So much unneccessary fluff. But could you really expect it to end any other way when it's me?  
> They are just too precious for their own good.
> 
> I've had so much fun writing this! Thank you everyone who's ever left kudos or a comment. Special thanks to the few of you who'd take the time to leave a comment every chapter. That really meant a lot and kept me going.
> 
> Anyway, I can't believe this is over, but I promise I'll have more fics out soon, especially on my tumblr. If you have any requests or headcanons, you can find me at hopenobodyeverfindsthis
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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